Farore's Wind
by StormWolf9
Summary: Adri thought she was a normal girl, until a goddess she didn't know chose her to be her champion. Now she must aid the Hero of Twilight to save a land she doesn't belong in. Will she be able to summon the courage and beast within to save Hyrule? Or fail?
1. Chapter 1: Twilight Falls

**FW Chapter 1: Twilight Falls**

The track stretched out far before her. In the distance the heat waves rose off the rubberish red track into the sun bleached sky. She leaned forward in her stance, balling her hands into fists and tensing up like an arrow about to be released. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the track, their emerald green color sparkling with anticipation. This was her time. Her moment to shine. The shotgun was being raised into the air on the other end of the stretch. The trigger was being pulled.

"Adri!"

The slam of a ruler brought her back to reality. Adri snapped out of her revere to find the face of her history teacher glaring down at her. Around her she could see her classmates staring at her, some with snide smiles and others with looks of sympathy. At the other end of the room her friend Grace caught her eye, then shook her head and buried her head back in her book. Without any help, Adri faced the teacher alone. She smiled sheepishly and sighed, "Sorry Ms. Fletcher. Didn't get enough sleep last night."

Fletcher narrowed her eyes, then walked away continuing the lecture on the Civil War. Adri sank deep into her seat with a loud sigh of relief. She ran her hand through her hair thinking, _Cut it close that time. _Not wanting any more close calls she looked down at her book. It was pretty basic U.S. History, but for obvious reasons it bored Adri to death. The drawling of her teacher was the same lecture she had heard almost every single year since first grade. By now she could probably recite the whole events of the Civil War by heart. Still, the class was a school requirement and she couldn't go against the education system. Plus the Blakeston High system was not something one wanted to mess with.

_Well, at least this is my last class. Then I've got a whole weekend to relax._

No sooner had the thought passed her mind did the bell ring. Adri grinned and shoved her textbook into her backpack, then exited the room with the rest of her classmates. They all had a three-day weekend to look forward too, so there was a lot of bustling and shoving to get out. She managed to survive the stampede though and met up with Grace. The oriental girl smiled, her eyes shining behind her glasses, and shook her head for the second time that day.

"When are you going to stop daydreaming and start paying attention to the lesson?"

"When it gets interesting," laughed Adri. They were now outside the school, beginning to take the route they always did for home. "Besides, I was imagining my next victory at next week's meet."

Grace rolled her eyes laughing, "Think you're going to break the school record this time?"

"Hopefully."

"Oh yeah, you're still coming to my party on Sunday right?"

"Course!"

"Good. I'll see you on Sunday then."

They had reach the crossroads before the park. Grace took the right road waving good-bye as she did. Adri waved back, then started down the street to the left towards the park. As she walked though her thoughts began to wander, thoughts about the small town she lived in. It felt so compact and in the middle of nowhere. Sure San Diego was a couple hours away, but that didn't take away from how boring things could get in the town. Blakeston was right at the foot of the mountains and was bordered by a desert plus, for some odd reason, a small wooded area. It could've spelled excitement, right? Wrong.

Adri sighed, looking up at the clear, blue sky. _If only there was some way I could get away from here. Just for some excitement and adventure. _Still, even if she knew her wish would probably not come true, for some strange reason there was this feeling in the air. As if the world was holding its breath for something to happen.

"I'm home!" Adri called.

Of course there was no answer. Even if her brothers, Jim and Danny, had gotten home before her they weren't going to answer. She smiled as she heard the familiar sounds of a video game coming from the living room, Kingdom Hearts by the music. Despite the temptation Adri didn't pay attention to them. Right now she had finish her work. And I don't mean homework. She headed up the stairs to her room away from the noise. There was a triumphant shout as Danny beat some boss which was quickly shut off by the slamming of her bedroom door. Adri threw her backpack onto her bed, then looked in the mirror.

A young woman of sixteen gazed back at her. Her skin was tanned dark, not too dark as to look like a burn and not too light as to seem unattractive. She wasn't tall, skinny enough to be lithe and fast. Unlike most girl's though her hair was extremely short, so short that sometimes she was mistaken for a boy. It was raven-black, the bangs being a bit long. Her hair stuck up a bit in the back because of how wild it was and one strand of hair was always in her eyes. Though Adri's most striking feature was her eyes. They were a fierce emerald green, some people saying they were almost savage in some lights. Still, she loved them and their feral light.

She ran a hand through her hair, then sat down at her desk. On it was an unfinished picture of Grace's cat, Chubbs. Adri had been working on it for a few days for Grace's birthday, now all that was needed was a bit of color. Adri reached for the tin of color pencils and markers at the top of the desk choosing all of the warm colors. With the pencils in hand she started coloring in the picture. Drawing was the best of her talents next to her endurance. She could draw anything if she put her mind to it, that is, make a good attempt. This was the picture she had promised her friend, and she wasn't going to screw it up. Her tongue stuck out of her mouth as she focused on the shading.

_Just a little bit more orange..._

As she reached for an orange marker, a bark broke her concentration. Adri jumped in surprise dropping the marker in the process. Lucky for her it had been sealed otherwise the picture could have been ruined. This aside, Adri wasn't too happy. "What now?" she grumbled as she looked out the window. In the yard their golden retriever, Auron, was barking at the gate like crazy. (Her brothers were Final Fantasy fanatics.) She let out a sigh and opened the window. The sun was starting to set and already the cool night breeze was blowing. Adri looked out at the yard, at her barking dog, past the park, and to the woods. There was no doubt that whatever had spooked Auron was somewhere in there.

Adri sighed and shook her head. "Better go see what's wrong with that dog."

She got up and walked out her door. As she headed down the stairs the sounds of the video game reached her ears. Adri poked her head in the living room to see her brothers still playing with the Playstation. She rolled her eyes calling, "Hey, I'm gonna check on Auron, okay? I'll be back."

"Fine," her older brother Tim replied. Judging by the tone of his voice he could care less.

Ignoring the response Adri walked out the back door. As soon as she stepped outside Auron bounded up to her. He was whining and wagging his tail feverishly. Adri ran a hand through his fur speaking in a gentle voice, "Easy boy. Woah. Let's see what's wrong, okay."

She walked over to the gate, for reason unknown to her pausing before she opened. She shook it off and opened the gate. Without warning Auron took off bounding across the park into the distant trees. Adri let out a shout and raced after the dog. It didn't take long to reach the cool shade of the trees. She kept running, ducking under branches and instinctively dodging trees following Auron's barks. She'd practically grown up in these woods so she knew every twig and leaf by heart. Still she couldn't catch him. His barks gradually began to fade until she couldn't hear him at all.

Adri came to a stop, her endurance reaching its limit. She leaned against a tree to catch her breath, looking around for any sign of her dog. Nothing. She looked up at the treetops and saw the orange colors of dusk spreading across the sky. Adri loved this time of day, but she couldn't think about it at the moment. What she really needed to be concerned with was finding Auron.

Standing up straight Adri yelled, "Auron! Here boy!"

For a second there was no response. A distant bark then sounded up ahead. Adri grinned and started running towards the sound. It didn't take long for the barks to get louder and closer, encouraging her to pick up her speed a bit. Trees whipped past her vision as she ran and the orange sky whirled around her._ Keep that up boy! Just a little_ oof!"

Adri fell forward onto her stomach. Groaning, she pushed herself up seeing that she'd been tripped by a root. She rubbed her chin looking up in front of her. She gasped. The trees had thinned and opened into a wide clearing. Within the clearing was a spring, one that Adri did not recognize at all. It bubbled forth from the earth in a high rock shelf cascading down into a wide basin area. Boulders rose from the shelf having been dropped there years ago by some natural process. The trees created a sort of arch above the spring, allowing the sky to be seen easily from there. Here the orange sky looked even brighter.

Adri stared in awe at the spring before her. She'd explored every nook and cranny in these woods, but never before had she come across this spring. Suddenly she forgot all about Auron and stepped into the water shoes and all. It was pleasantly cool and barely ankle deep. With every step her feet made small clouds of sand that quickly settled back onto the water bed. She laughed as she watch small minnows dart under the water's surface as she walked farther into the spring, barely noticing the water was getting deeper. Yes, there was an air of piece around her.

Then something changed. The air suddenly grew colder and the sky was getting darker. Adri shivered a bit dismissing the feeling as a reaction to the cold. Something was wrong though. It was like there was a dark presence in the air, getting nearer and nearer. Suddenly there was the snap of twigs and a rustling from the bushes. Adri slowly turned around to face the trees as whatever it was emerged. The thing was like something out of a nightmare. It was covered in smooth, ink black skin that had purple tattoo like patterns running across its body. It was hunched over and walked on stumpy legs with its freakishly long arms set in gorilla style. At the ends of its fingers were huge scythe like claws. As for its face, it was reptilian in shape with a long snout and no eyes. Still it seemed to be able to tell what it was doing since it was sniffing around.

Adri couldn't move. She just watched as the thing knuckled to the edge of the water, a long tongue zipping out as it tasted the air. It let out a low growl as if frustrated. Adri held her breath looking around for any way of escape. _That thing catches me I'm dead! Come on, how can I get around it?_ She made a move to walk, but the movement caused a tiny splash. The monster snapped its head in her direction, sniffed once, then grinned revealing teeth long as knives. Not wanting to give it a chance Adri bolted not caring how much noise she made. She didn't have a ghost of a chance. The monster moved surprisingly fast on its stumpy legs, charging and swung out one long arm, tripping her. She fell on her stomach, and the thing was on her. Adri screamed and flipped on her back trying to escape, but the monster's weight kept her down. It let out an earsplitting roar then slashed at Adri's face. She tried to block it with her arms, but that resulted in the skin being slashed open clear to the bone. Adri screamed and tried to get out from under the monster, but wasn't fast enough. It wrapped its fingers around her throat and threw her across the spring.

The back of her head made contact with a rock. Lights blazed in her eyes as she sank into the water. Here it was deeper. Adri sank into the water, her vision swimming from pain and lose of blood. Once the initial shock had passed, she gradually came to her senses. Adri kicked for the surface, but when she broke it her relief didn't last. The monster stood above her, roaring again. It reached for her, but not before a golden blur pounced on it. Still Adri could not comprehend what was going on since she was being to loose consciousness. She could hear roars and howls in her mind as she blacked out, slipping into the dark waters.

"Get her out of there, now!"

"Her arm! This wound-"

"We'll bandage it up here quickly, then we must head for the village. She needs medical attention now!"


	2. Chapter 2: Where Am I?

Okay, sorry I haven't updated. My computer got infected with a million viruses at once and my cousin worked on it for about two weeks. Well the next chapter's here now, along with my new disclaimer! Say hi Bren!

Bren: Hey guys. Storm doesn't own The Legend of Zelda or any characters related to the franchise. Except Adri, Adri's her's. (Unfortunately)

* * *

**FW Chapter 2: Where Am I?**

"Child...child...can you here me?"

The voice was calm and gentle. Adri slowly opened her eyes, at first only seeing a pink blob, but that quickly sharpened and took the form of a face. A woman was next to her. Her blond hair perfectly frame her round face and her blue-green eyes were filled with kindness. Her rogue lips formed a smile as she reached for something on Adri's forehead. She brought her hand back and Adri saw her now holding a damp cloth. She nodded and placed a hand on Adri's cheek.

"Good, you've awakened," she said, "We did not think you would ever manage to recover from that fall."

"F-fall?" Adri choked. She thought she could still feel water sloshing around in her chest.

"You don't remember do you? You fell from the top of Ordon Spring. My husband and our godson found you and brought you back here." Adri felt one of her arms being lifted, then it was brought into her view. "You were badly wounded, see." Her forearm was bandaged all the way up to her elbow. "Both your arms were injured, but the left has healed already and the right is almost there."

It was like someone had hit the rewind switch on a remote. The roars, the water, the pain, it all came rushing back to her. Adri groaned as the headache and the pain in the back of her head grew. She tried to sit up, but the woman's hand pushed her back down. She barely heard her requests for her to stay still. It made sense, but the only thing that didn't make any sense was...where was she?

The woman's voice broke her thoughts, "Are you alright child?"

"Where am I?"

"You're in the house of Rusl, and I am his wife, Uli. We're in Ordon village if you want me to make matters simple." Uli got up, adding, "You must be hungry. I'll get you something to eat." She left.

With Uli gone, Adri pushed herself up, careful not to put too much weight upon her right arm. Once she was sitting up she got a good look at her surroundings. She was in a large living room, one that served as a kitchen and bedroom as well. She could feel the softness of cushions beneath her as she rose and a rough wool blanket slide off her shoulders. The walls of the room were made up of thick wooden planks with a couple windows. She could see Uli standing over a small stove, the smell of cooking reaching her nose. In another corner Adri saw a small bed surrounded by a few wooden animals, mostly horses and dogs. Why they were wooden was beyond her. Still the home held a sort of cozy feel to it.

Again she winced from a twinge of pain. Adri gingerly touched the bandages, trying to recall all the details. _That monster...it sliced my arms. But still...ugh what is going on! She mentioned someplace called Ordon. But I'm in the woods, just outside of town. How can I be somewhere else? And why is Uli wearing medieval style clothes?_

"Here we are." Uli's voice interrupted her thoughts. Adri looked up and saw her holding a tray with a steaming bowl of soup and a cup. She sat on a stool next to the bed, set the tray down, and lifted the bowl into her hands. She stirred the stew once then asked, "What is your name child?"

"Adri Sage."

Uli nodded, then spooned the stew into Adri's open mouth saying, "I'll be feeding you for now. Your arm may be almost fully healed thanks to the spring, but I'm not taking any chances."

Adri accepted the food gladly, letting the warmth flow through her. After most of it had gone into her stomach though, she asked, "You mentioned Ordon...where is that? Aren't we in Shade Woods?" The name was just a local one the children of Blakeston had given the woods since they had none.

"Woods? The only wood around here is Faron Woods," answered Uli, "And how can you not know where Ordon is if you are in the village itself."

"What!" Adri sprang from the sofa straight to the window, ignoring Uli's requests for her to stay put. Her heart stopped beating. There was no forest, no orange colored sky, no column of industrial smoke in the distance. Instead there were several wood huts, all with sunbaked clay tile roofs. The sun shone brightly and the sky was blue with a few clouds floating lazily. There was no urban development, let alone the comforts of modern society. There was a water wheel for crying out loud! Sunlight filled the area playing upon the surface of a creek. A couple chickens walked around the area too. At the northeastern end the entrance to some sort of ranch loomed.

Adri gulped, backing away from the window. _Okay...I'm definitely not in Blakeston anymore. _She made a bolt for the door.

"Adri!"

She turned around. Uli had stood up, her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. "Child, I know you may be confused, but for now I want you to rest."

"But-"

"Uli?"

The door had opened. Adri turned around only to bump right into the newcomer, and gasp. A young man stood in the doorway, definitely one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. He was tall, lean, obviously very athletic and strong. He too wore medieval clothing similar to Uli's, only he wore a green shirt and tan pants instead of the white and oranges of Uli's outfit. A messy crop of long, dirty blond hair was on his head which looked like it had never dealt with a comb. Strangely though, the boy's ears were long and pointed at the tips like an elf's. Yet that wasn't his most startling feature. What were startling were his eyes. They were a deep cerulean blue. Adri could feel herself being lost within their depths. She could see that the boy was kind, but within those eyes rested a feral gleam that she had only ever seen in her own eyes. He was truly an amazing person to behold.

For some reason Adri couldn't take her eyes off of him. The boy looked at her and smiled, relief all over his face. "You woke up!" he said, "We thought you would never move again."

"No, she's good and well." Uli walked over to them. She gestured to the boy saying, "Adri this is Link, my godson. He's the one that found you drowning in the spring. Link, this is Adri Sage."

Link's smile turned into a shy grin. "Hi."

"H-hey." Adri replied. _Stop it! You never get nervous around boys, so don't start now!_

Uli came to her rescue, "She's just had lunch, and I was about to have her rest back on the sofa." She placed a hand on Adri's shoulder, then fixed Link with the same stern stare she had given her. "And what about you? Shouldn't you be up at the ranch helping Fado?"

The boy looked down at his feet at the question. His grin was still there, but it had turned into a sheepish one as he rubbed the back of his head. "Er...well, I'm on break right now. I just came to check if the girl...I mean Adri had woken up." When he looked back up at Uli and saw the look on her face he added, "I'm going back!"

Again he earned a stern stare from Uli, but she didn't make any additional comments. Instead she looked at Adri. "Adri, why don't you have a few words with Link? He can explain what happened better than I can." With that Link moved out of the way and Uli stepped out the door, slowly. Adri was curious about this, but couldn't see any more of her once Link had shut the door again.

Link looked at her for a second, then motioned toward the sofa. Adri obliged and took a seat, moving the blanket out of the way. He sat next to her. They were quiet for a few seconds, then Link started to talk, "So...was there anything you wanted to know? You looked really confused when I opened the door."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Adri replied, "I'm just really freaked out right now." She ignored the look on his face and blurted out her question. "But I thought I was in Blakeston Woods. And how did you find me if there was no one there when that ah!" A short spasm of pain shot through her right arm. Adri gritted her teeth together waiting for it to pass. She felt Link place his arm on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. _So much for being almost fully healed._ To Link she muttered, "I'm fine."

"What made these wounds anyway? They look like you were attacked by a bear." Adri didn't respond, so he continued, "You fell from the top of the spring. It's pretty high up there and we, that's Rusl and I, thought you were dead. At least until we saw you breathing. But still you were wounded so badly that we thought you would surely die. You've been unconscious for two days. The goddesses must be watching over you carefully for us to have saved you in this condition."

"Two days!" cried Adri. She leaped to her feet startling Link a bit. Her eyes were wide as she faced him yelling, "I've been out for two days! But what about my friends, my family! How could they not realize I'm missing! And that monster almost killed me! How...oy!" She fell to her knees, her hands balled into fists with her head hung. Tears of frustration were fighting to appear, but she held them back easily. She wasn't one to cry over stupid things. Even if the current situation shouldn't be considered stupid.

She felt Link's hand on her shoulder again. Adri looked up to see him kneeling next to her, concern written all over his face. She shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "Sorry. I just...I..."

"Don't worry about it." Link then stood up straight holding out a hand to her. Adri took it and he helped her to her feet. With a reassuring smile he said, "This is a lot to take in, I know. Still, you're here now and that's all that matters. This Blakeston you say you're from will have to wait until your arm is healed."

Link started to walk out the door saying, "I've got to get back to work at the ranch." Before he left though he turned back to her adding, "And a word of advice, just rest and listen to Uli and she'll let you go. I'll stop by tomorrow." He opened the door and stepped out.

Once the door had shut, Adri relaxed a bit. She looked at the door for a few more seconds then sat back down on the sofa. She tried to recollect her thoughts, but the more she did the more questions popped into her head. Sighing she cupped her chin in her hands lazily moving that one strand of hair out of her eyes. _Okay. First that monster attacks me, then somehow I blacked out after that, woke up in this place called Ordon and now that I've mentioned home they think I'm crazy_. _Great__._Adri sighed again rubbing her temples. _Fine, I'll rest. But I need to figure out a way out of this mess before something bad happens._ She lay back down on the sofa resting her head on the pillow. She curled up a bit and closed her eyes, forcing herself to go to sleep. Surprisingly it wasn't that hard as she began to drift into a dreamless sleep.

"Tell me...Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?"

Rusl and Link were sitting side by side at the edge of the spirit's spring. Dusk was being to fall upon Faron Woods and they had just finished gathering wood for the village. The wood had been strapped onto Epona, Link's horse, who was grazing nearby. It was peaceful, and neither men had spoken until now.

Without looking away from the spring Link answered, "Sometimes. I usually feel calm more than sadness. Why?"

Rusl sighed. "They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs...the only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world." He paused, then added, "That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight..."

"But enough talk of sadness. I have a favor to ask of you, Link."

Link perked up at those words. He looked at Rusl eagerly saying, "Yes?" Mentally he was crossing his fingers for something good.

"I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow..." Link was on the edge of his seat now waiting for the fated words. "Yes, it was a task set to me by the mayor, but...would you go in my stead?"

Link wanted to whoop for joy at that moment, but he had to keep his cool. Instead he grinned stammering, "I-it would be an honor sir!"

Rusl smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've...never been to Hyrule, right?" Upon the shake of Link's head he continued, "In the kingdom of Hyrule there is a great castle, and around it is Castle Town, a community far bigger than our little village. And far bigger than Hyrule is the rest of the world the gods created." He sighed again. "You should look upon it with your own eyes."

Link thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you think Adri comes from a land beyond Hyrule?"

"Perhaps," Rusl answered, "Perhaps you can take her with you on this journey."

He then stood up, brushing the sand off of his pants. "It is getting late...we should head back to the village. I will talk to Bo about this matter."

"Alright, Rusl."

Link walked over to Epona, grasping hold of the reins. The huge draft horse tossed her head impatiently and followed behind them. As they crossed the bridge back to the village Link couldn't stop thinking about Rusl's request. _Maybe I'll find out where Adri is really from. _He glanced up at the orange sky. A strong sense of adventure filled his heart at the idea of a journey. _I guess we'll see._

* * *

And that's that. So...hope you liked it and we'll be getting to the fun stuff soon!

_Bren: Storm says that reviews are more than appreciated. Cool? Cool, Bren signing off._


	3. Chapter 3: A Quick Tour

_Okay, this just took FOREVER to write, let alone think of! Don't know what happened with this one, but I'm just glad it's done!_

_Bren: I thought you got lazy._

_No! There was no inspiration for it! Anyway Bren, you know what to do._

_Bren: *sigh* Fine. Storm does not own the Legend of Zelda series or anything related to it. All she owns is Adri, so no stealing. Or I'll hurt you. *pulls out sword*_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 3: A Quick Tour

The warmth of sunlight woke her the next morning. Adri stirred, groaning as she began to open her eyes. _Okay, it was all a dream. When I open my eyes I'll be back in my room with that picture waiting to be finished on my desk._ When she finally opened them and her sight cleared, though, seeing Uli's house and the feeling of the sofa beneath her told her otherwise. Adri let out a deep sigh. _Guess it wasn't a dream._ She pushed herself up, feeling the blanket fall off her shoulders, and swung her legs over the side of the sofa. She rubbed the back of her head trying to recollect all that had happened.

_Alright, let's see. I chased Auron into the woods, got attacked by some black, lizard thing, and now I'm apparently stuck in some other world with no hope of getting back home._ She glanced at her arm, seeing it covered in clean, but less bandages. Adri let out yet another sigh groaning, "Well, guess this can't get any worse than it already is."

A knock came at the door. Adri leaped to her feet as Uli's voice drifted in, "Adri? Adri are you awake?"

"Uh, yeah! Yeah, I'm awake."

The door opened and Uli stepped inside, and following behind her was a new face. A young woman entered the house behind her. She was slim and looked about Adri's height, wearing a white dress and brown pants underneath. Strapped around one leg was a small pack. Her hair was pale blond and short like Adri's, but not at all wild like hers. Her light green eyes carried an aura of kindness that matched Uli's, plus something about her caused a calm air to settle over the room.

The girl smiled at Adri saying, "Good morning, Adri. Uli has told me quite a bit about you."

Uli took a seat next to the sofa saying, "Adri, this is Ilia, the mayor's daughter. She has asked me about you and wished to see you today before she started working."

"It's nice to meet you," Ilia said as she took a seat, "Both Link and Rusl were talking about you yesterday."

"Really?"

"Of course, Adri!" laughed Uli, "Everyone has been talking about you since you got here." Before Adri could respond she reached out for her arm and set it in her lap. "But enough about that, let me see to your wound. Ilia, would you give me the bottle and cloth on the table."

Ilia handed the requested materials to Uli. With deft fingers she unwrapped the bandages, revealing the slashes across her forearm. Adri winced when she saw them. Since she had been attacked she hadn't seen them at all, and they looked like they had been pretty bad. Even if they were almost fully healed now as Uli said. Ilia's eyes widened when she saw the bandages pulled back.

"What was it?" she asked as Uli dabbed the wounds with the liquid in the bottle.

Adri frowned as she said, "I really don't remember. Might've been a bear or something from the way the slashes look." _If I tell them what I really saw, that could be a one way ticket to the loony house. And there's no way that's going to happen._

Ilia frowned as she leaned in closer. "Hm…the spirit's water really helped them, but I've got something that will help even more." She then looked at Uli and asked, "That is, if it's alright with you Uli."

Uli nodded as she began to wrap new bandages around Adri's forearm. "If it will help, then yes. There," she sighed when she was finished, "that should do for now."

Adri flexed her hand, balling it into a fist as she did. There were no spasms of pain as she did, and she took that as a good sign. _I really need to see that spring. It worked wonders on my arm._

"Adri, what do you think?" Ilia's voice cut into her thoughts.

She looked up and nodded. "Sure. Anything that will get this monster to heal is alright with me."

Uli got up, brushing a couple of stray bandages from her lap. To Adri she nodded saying, "You have my permission. Perhaps you can explore the village while you're at it, Adri. Some fresh air will do you some good."

"Okay." Adri turned to Ilia and got to her feet. "I'm ready when you are."

"Oh! And Adri, could you give this to Link?" She handed her a fishing rod. It was rough, but actually well made. Adri nodded as she took the rod. "I'll give it to him, Uli."

Ilia smiled, then made for the door. Adri followed behind her, waving to Uli as she opened the door. As the door shut behind them she thought she heard her say something about Link, but didn't give it much thought as the fresh air hit her face. There was a slight breeze blowing and the sound of the creek could be heard. Adri took a deep breath, then started walking down the road with Ilia. _Guess I might as well enjoy this place._

"So Adri, you've met Link already?"

Ilia's voice snapped her out of her revere. Adri looked at the girl stammering, "Y-yeah, actually I have. He came to check on me yesterday."

She smiled. "Good. It's good to know he was keeping an eye on you," she said softly. For a second Adri thought she saw Ilia's face redden a bit, but the color vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Adri quickly came up with a response.

"I take it you and Link go way back?"

"Waa..oh! Yes, we've been friends since we were children. We're both seventeen." Ilia then perked up stating, "Ah, there's my home."

Adri looked up, and could tell she was looking at a house of great importance. Particularly by the size and the impressive horn that were mounted above the door. It was strange, the whole horn forming a complete circle, something Adri had never seen before. Outside the house were two men. One was a portly man wearing only a white tank top and the familiar pants that she had seen Link and Uli wearing. There was not a hair to see on his head, but a small moustache adorned his upper lip. Next to him was a familiar face, one that made Adri smile.

That is, until she felt Ilia's hand on her shoulder. She had it in a death grip. Adri looked at her and saw her eyes wide and totally focused on Link. "Ilia, what's wrong?" she asked.

"He's never up this early. Not on a day off."

"Ilia are you alright?"

Ilia quickly snapped her head at her, an apologetic look in her eyes. "I'm fine, but….could I bring the ointment to you later this evening?"

"Um…Sure." Adri had to say yes when she saw that pleading look on her face.

The older girl smiled gratefully, then ran off toward her house. As she reached the porch though, the ground began to tremble. A voice shouted from atop the hill as a goat came galloping down the road. It had a shaggy bluish hued coat and a rack of horn just like the one on the mayor's house adorned its head. It was headed straight for the two men. Adri ran towards them as Link jumped in the goat's path as if he meant to stop it with his bare hands. Just as Ilia was slipping inside the house. Link looked away for a second as the goat charged at him.

Adri saw what was coming and screamed, "Link get out of the way!"

"Iliahhh!"  
The goat's horns slammed into Link's chest, sending him flying. Adri reached him just as he landed face flat in the dirt, the goat galloping away. The man hurried over, helping Link to his feet. He groaned and rubbed his head as he turned to Adri. A sheepish smile was on his face.

"Er, hi Adri. You….you look alright this morning," he said, his face reddening with embarrassment.

Adri crossed her arms. She wanted to slap him across the face so badly, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she sighed and replied, "And you…..yeah…..what were you thinking!" She couldn't stop herself and the statement just tumbled out.

The man dusted Link off, then looked at Adri. He smiled saying, "I wouldn't worry, lass. Link's going to be fine. He gets tackled by the goats like that almost every day at the ranch." He held out his hand adding, "I am Bo, mayor of Ordon Village. And you must be Adri. Link was telling me about you before the goat came."

_How many people has he told about me?_ Out loud Adri said, "Nice to meet you."

"Adri, was that Ilia with you?"

"Yes, but she had to do something inside."

"Oh." Link's eyes seemed to mist over as if he were thinking about something, but they quickly went back to normal as he said, "So, Uli let you out?"

Adri nodded. "Yeah. She gave me permission to wander around the village for the day."

"Well that's convenient," Link said, "I've got the day off from work today, so I can show you around."

"Cool!"

Bo and Link exchanged looks, confused. Link raised his eyebrows saying, "Cool? Are you cold, Adri?"

Adri felt her face heat up. "Uh…no, that's just a bit of my town's speech." _Okay, next time I need to watch it and not be so free with the slang._ She added, "Are you ready to go then?"

Link nodded. With a final good-bye to Bo they walked down the road away from the house. Adri looked around her, only half listening to what Link was saying, a sigh of content escaping her. She could feel it as they walked, a sense of calm and comfort that enveloped the whole village. _There are worse places I could've ended up_, she thought, _At least I ended up here._

"Hey Adri, what's your home like?"

"Huh?" For the second time Adri was caught off guard, but managed to respond quickly, "Oh, well….I can say it isn't anywhere near as beautiful as Ordon. I really can't describe it though…." _At least in a way you would understand, Link._

"Really? Or are you just jealous of my village?"

Adri laughed and gave him a gentle shove. "Am not! Oh, and by the way, Uli wanted me to give this to you." She held out the fishing rod. Link took it, a grin on his face.

"Thanks! Colin's been telling me he was making this." A mischievous gleam entered Link's eyes. "In fact…." He took off at a brisk pace towards the creek. Adri had no choice but to follow, not sure what he was planning on doing. As an answer to her question Link pointed to the far bank. Seated on the small dock was a little cat, just staring at the river watching the fish. Link smiled and held up the rod.

"That's Sera's, the lady who works at the store, cat. Jaggle told me that he'd been having a staring contest with the river as if he planned on catching a fish." Link checked the hook on the end of the line, then cast it out into the water. "Let's see if I can give him a hand."

It didn't take long for him to get a bite. Link pulled hard and out popped a small fish. It flopped around on the hook for a few seconds before becoming still. Adri winced a bit, but that was the way of life. Link plucked the fish off the line saying, "Okay, now let's see to that cat."

***

"Okay, remind me again why this _toy_ is so important that we went to all that trouble with that cat to get it?"

Their tiny episode with the cat hadn't gone well. When Link had tempted it with the fish, still on the line mind you, the feline had leaped without question. Seeing Link as a rival for its food it did what any creature would do, and that is fight for what it felt was rightfully its property. The end result was a trio of vivid red claw marks across Link's right cheek. The cat got the fish off the hook before either he or Adri could grab it and streaked towards a distant hut, namely its owner's general store. Link wanted to tear the thing to shreds because of the pain it had caused him, but Adri managed to get him to calm down. They found that same cat within the shop, sitting on the counter, drinking from a bowl of milk as if nothing had happened. And all they got out of the ordeal was a slingshot.

Link winced a bit at Adri's statement, tracing the scratches on his cheek gingerly. "Well, I promised the kids I would get it for them. I can't go back on a promise I made to them!"

"What about the monkey?"

"Er…..that has nothing to do with that!" Link raved, not wanting to get into an argument about the situation that had occurred afterwards involving a hawk and monkey, "Look, let's just go see the kids and show them the slingshot. My house is just up the road."

With the disagreement behind them they walked up the road through the village gates. Link had begun explaining everything along the way from the people of the village to the animals that lived in the nearby woods. Particularly a band of mischievous monkeys that had recently moved in. He stressed that they had been playing tricks on the villagers and had stolen food from house stores. But along with this slight nuisance he mentioned the village's main business, the goats. He explained how everything revolved around the Ordonian goats and how he was a wrangler at the ranch up the hill. _That would explain why he jumped in front of the goat_, Adri mused.

"Link!"

They looked up and saw a man coming towards them. He had light blond hair that curled over a headband on his forehead. Plus he had a complete short beard and mustache. He was dressed in what Adri was beginning to consider the village wardrobe, but strapped to his back was, clearly, a sword. In his hands was a long, narrow package. There was a smile on his face as he approached them.

"Ah! Good to see you up and about, young lady," he said. He must have seen how confused Adri felt for he laughed adding, "I'm Rusl. My home is the one where you've been staying. Surely Uli has mentioned me."

Adri felt a button in her head click as he mentioned Uli. "Oh, right! So you're Rusl! Yes, I'm feeling a lot better today."

"Of course, otherwise my wife wouldn't have let you leave the house." He then turned to Link, eying the fishing rod in his hands. "I see you got the rod. Good, Colin will be happy to here it."

Link nodded. "Would you tell him thank you for me?"

"You can tell him yourself! He's up at your house with the other children. But before you go…"

Rusl held the package out to Link, who took it without hesitation. Adri saw a gleam in his eyes as he tore the cloth away eagerly. In his hands was a wooden sword. It was fairly simple, the wood roughly shaped in the image of a simple one handed sword. Green lines and swirls of old, chipped paint ran the length of the "blade" wrapping around the handle, varying in design and skill. Despite being carved from wood, the edges looked sharp enough to cut through a blade of grass.

Link's eyes sparkled as he took a few experimental swipes at the air. Satisfied, he breathed, "It's as good as new, Rusl. Thank you!"

"It was no trouble. Just don't break again!" he laughed. To Adri he said, "Be sure to be back at the house by sunset, Adri. Uli would not want you wandering the village at night, no matter how well you feel you are." With that said he walked down the road to the village.

Adri looked at the sword, an eyebrow raised. "Do I want to know what you did to that thing?"

"Er, maybe not," Link replied, "Come on, I've got its sheath at my house."

"Link!"

Something told Adri they weren't going to reach the house anytime soon. As soon as Link had finished his sentence three children had come running down the path towards them. Two were boys, one with an almost infantile face, and the third was a girl. The kids surrounded Link, the eldest of the boys practically jumping out of his skin with excitement.

"Didja get it, Link!" he babbled, "Didja!?"

Link sighed and pulled out the slingshot. The boy whooped with joy, snatching it right out of Link's hand to test it. He made experimental shots, one eye closed like a pro, then noticed Adri. Instantly he dropped the toy and turned his focus completely on her along with the other two children. The questions were being fired away.

"You're the girl Link rescued, huh?" he stated and continued without waiting for an answer, "Colin's dad said you fell from the top of the spring! How did you survive that!"

"Talo don't be so rude!" scolded the girl. To Adri she smiled, "Ignore this brat. I'm Beth, that's Talo, and the little one is his brother Malo."

"Er…Okay then. I'm Adri."

Before she knew it Talo began bombarding her with questions like how high her fall was, what she thought of the village, and even where she had come from. Adri refrained from saying much about Blakeston, and didn't even know how to begin answering the cliff question. Still, Link saved her by offering to show Talo a couple sword techniques, which the boy eagerly accepted. As Link went through different forms with him, Adri almost totally ignored the voices of Beth and Malo (seriously, the smaller kid freaked her out a bit). Talo was ranting about the monkeys, but she didn't acknowledge that as she observed the demonstration. She smiled, noticing how easily Link moved through the stances from what he called a horizontal slice to a spin attack. The jump one seemed particularly brutal after seeing what it did to a nearby scarecrow. He was good, she had to admit that. _A world of swords and shields.....pft, great. What did I do to end up here?_

"Hey!"

Talo's shout brought her back to reality. Adri followed his pointing arm to see a monkey standing only a few feet away from them. It had a rose stuck behind an ear, and it seemed to be watching them intently. However, once all eyes were on it, the monkey let out a startled screech and tore off into the trees. Talo's eyes lit up.

"C'mere you!" He took off running after the animal.

Beth yelled at him to stop and Malo bolted with surprising speed after his brother. Link, who looked like he was ready to laugh, turned to Adri as the kids disappeared into the tunnel. "Come on, we've got to stop them before they hurt themselves."

Adri nodded. Pleased with her response, Link put his fingers to his lips and whistled. A whinny of recognition sounded before a huge horse galloped up to them. It was a Clydesdale mare, at least from what Adri knew, and a deep chestnut color with a white mane, tail, and hoof feathering. The mare tossed her head, her brown eyes focused on Link. He stroked her forehead saying, "This is Epona. She'll help us catch up with the kids." He turned back to Adri questioning, "You ever ridden before?"

"Yeah, once when I was little," she replied. Link nodded and, with one lithe movement, was in the saddle. He held out a hand, helping Adri into the saddle behind him. Epona pranced a little under the new weight, but didn't buck, much to Adri's relief. Link clicked his tongue and the horse trotted into the trees. As they passed under the trees, something was starting to bother Adri. They looked familiar, like she had seen them before somehow, yet she knew there was no way possible she could have seen a place like Ordon. She barely heard Link mention the spring that they had passed by. What did break her focus was the sound of Malo and Beth's voices. Link stopped Epona as they got near, looking down at them. The worry on their faces was not good.

"Beth, Malo, where's Talo?"

"He took off like a crazy person after that monkey!" gasped Beth, "We couldn't keep up with him."

Malo stared at Link for a few seconds, then pointed towards a distant bridge. On the other side of the gorge Adri could see a dark forest. She knew what had happened without the boy having to tell them. "They went….into the woods…," he said, as if it was the end of the world, "It's all up to you, Link."

* * *

_So there you have it! One very rushed chapter fresh from the oven. _

_Bren: *rolls eyes* Reviews are appreciated. Anyone who flames eats sword._

_I promise to have cookies next time!_


	4. Chapter 4: Something Amiss

Okay, this one seemed kinda rushed. School's been really hard on me lately with essays and big art projects, but hopefully I'll be able to get more chapters uploaded soon. I'm getting to a couple chapters that have been pretyped plus their the more enjoyable parts. With these slightly boring areas out of the way now we should be starting to pick up some speed.

_Bren: You say that all the time. *sigh* Anyway Storm doesn't own the Legend of Zelda, only Adri._

**

* * *

Chapter 4: Something Amiss**

The path on the other side of the bridge had started to widen a bit, but at the same time the trees had begun to grow thicker and the light a little dimmer. Link continued to urge Epona down the road, Adri hanging on behind him. As they rode though, she couldn't help but be awed by the forest that had opened up around them. It was almost like the woods behind the park, only this one felt older, even older than the woods that they had just passed through by the spring. Birdsong could be heard ringing through the trees mixing with the clop of Epona's hooves and pools of sunlight splashed onto the ground. In the distance the sound of rushing water could be heard.

Adri's eyes widened as she drank everything in. _At least something is sort of familiar…_

Before she knew it they had reached another spring. This time Adri was able to get a good look at it as they passed by. For a minute time seemed to freeze. The boulders, the water, the framing from the trees, it was all just like the spring she had seen in the woods. Suddenly the roars of the monster began to echo in her head and her arm throbbed as she remembered the pain the beast's claws had caused.

"Adri? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Adri replied, being what seemed like the millionth time that day brought back to reality, "I'm just absorbing everything."

Link laughed, glancing behind at her. "Well, make sure you've absorbed enough so you can help me figure out where Talo got to. And by the way, I guess I never mentioned it, but this is where Rusl and I found you." He looked back ahead continuing, "I know Faron Woods by heart, so it should be fairly easy to find the kid….huh?"

He brought Epona to a stop. They had reached a dark tunnel with a gate when the mare had started to snort and toss her head. Link stroked her neck, but even that wasn't calming her. The horse pranced, rolling her frightened eyes back at her master. Link handed the reins to Adri and, not listening to her protests, jumped off to Epona's head, stroking her all the while. Beneath her Adri could feel the animal's frantic movements even as Link tried to calm her. She reached down and gently rubbed Epona's neck.

"Easy girl. It's alright."

The horse jerked her head away from Link with a snort. Suddenly her eyes locked with Adri's, their deep brown color hypnotizing. She couldn't look away even as a sharp shock passed through her arm. _Danger. Danger in tunnel._

"Adri!"

Adri tore her gaze away, shaking her head. She clambered off the mare, staring at her. _Wait, what just happened? I didn't....there's no way...._

"Adri, over here!"

She turned around at Link's call. He was standing at the entrance to the tunnel, his eyes trained on the ground. Adri hurried over and away from Epona, flexing her hand to rid herself of the tingling sensation in her arm. She looked down at the ground and saw what Link was staring at. On the ground was a red piece of cloth, just like the one that Talo had been wearing around his head when he ran off.

Link narrowed his eyes, then stood up. He walked over to Epona and grasped the reins stating, "Be right back." He led Epona away down another path, leaving Adri alone.

The second he was gone, Adri's attention went to her arm. It was her right, the one that had been healed according to Uli, but now a strong tingle was running through it. Worse was the fact that the palm of her hand was itching uncontrollably. All that had struck her the minute she touched Epona. Adri frowned as she rubbed her hand.

_What's going on? All I did was try to calm her down, that's it!_ The voice hadn't left her thoughts though. _That couldn't have been Epona. There's no way horses can talk, not even like that._ Adri ran her left hand through her hair, still rubbing her palm raw. _Ugh, what is wrong with this hand! Hope Link's horse didn't have fleas._ There was a problem with her theory, though, because with every passing second Adri thought she could see a distinct pattern starting to form on her skin; a funny swirling one.

"Ready?"

Startled, Adri turned around to find Link standing behind her, Epona-less. He frowned, tilting his head to the side. "Adri, are you alright? You seemed frightened after you touched Epona."

Adri shook her head, slipping her hand in her pocket and trying to ignore the itch. "No, I'm fine. What happened to Epona anyway?"

"I left her with a friend of mine, Coro. He owes me a favor, and he gave me this." Link held up a lantern proudly, laughing, "Says I'll need it to see in that tunnel. But I've gone in there a thousand times without one." He sighed, "Besides, I'm more worried about you. You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine!" she exclaimed nervously. Adri motioned toward the tunnel saying, "Look, we better just find Talo and go. The longer we talk, the less of a chance we'll have finding him." _I better not end up eating those words._

Seeming to accept her words, Link nodded. He walked towards the tunnel with Adri following close behind. He lit the lantern before they entered, allowing a soft light to penetrate the shadows ahead. Adri shivered, but continued to follow Link reminding herself that they had to find Talo. No matter what they had to go through, they had to get their task done without fail. Still, the walk in the dark was getting to her. Adri shook her head as she scratched her palm thinking, _If we get jumped in here, I swear I'm going to kill Link._

Luckily, it was a pretty uneventful detour. There was one small encounter with a flock of strange bats, which Link called Keese, with hooked claws at the ends of their tails, but other than that nothing bad happened. Even better was the small glimmer of light, brighter than the lantern in Link's hand, the pierced through the black ahead of them. It gradually grew larger and brighter until it finally burst into a flash of light. Adri blinked a couple times, blinded by the sudden brightness only for a moment. Once her eyesight cleared she gasped at what stretched out before them.

They were standing on the edge of a large grove. Judging by the old dock in front of them, the area must have been a lake at some point long ago. Now trees and shrubs seemed to have flourished in the former lakebed, the leaves in the canopy above forming a perfect shade that didn't allow too much or too little sunlight for the plants below.

Adri's mouth was open as she gazed upon the area. She heard a chuckle from Link as he doused the lantern's flame. "Amazing place, huh? I found it many years ago while exploring these woods."

"Reminds me of the ones back home," Adri replied softly. Shaking her head, she stated, "So how are we going to find Talo around here? It's a wide area."

Link nodded, but his face was stern as he hung the lantern on his belt. "True, but I've been in here many times before." He crossed his arms, adding, "Still, I get this feeling that something is not right here. People don't just disappear without reason within Faron Woods."

He started walking into the shallow valley whispering, "Stay close. I don't want you to get lost. And watch out for Deku Babas?"

"What?"

"You'll know what I'm talking about if we run into one."  
Adri nodded, following close behind him. She watched as Link reached behind him and unsheathed his wooden sword. _How is that thing supposed to cut through anything?_ she mused. It was a humorous thought, until something else hit her like a ton of bricks. She didn't have any weapons to speak of. Adri gulped, her heart beating a little faster as that cold fact settled over her. _Okay, just stop it! Look what's the worst tat could happen other than those Deku Babas that Link mentioned?_

Everyone knows that you should never say that line, Adri just forgot at that moment. No sooner did the thought pass through her mind did a shrill screech split the air. The birds went silent, enough that they could hear the wind blowing in the leaves. Link held up his hand as he stopped, his eyes narrowing as he looked around. He readied the sword in his left hand like a pro.

"Don't move," he whispered. Adri turned around to face the bushes behind them. _Maybe I don't have a weapon, but the least I can do is watch Link's back for him. Not going to let something stupid like being jumped from behind happen._ Still, she was hoping that the screech had been a bird. However when she felt Link's hand on her arm and heard a rustle in the bushes, that wasn't a very likely theory. She turned around in the direction Link was facing and saw the underbrush moving violently. Her fears were confirmed when Link suddenly gripped her wrist.

"Adri, run," he hissed. He moved his sword forward and got in an attack stance.

"What?" The brush was moving chaotically now, grunts being heard within as well. It wasn't a bunny for sure.

Link glanced over his shoulder at her. There was worry in his eyes, something that did not assure her at all. With a rough shove he pushed her back towards the dock shouting, "Run!"

The bushes burst with squeals and screeches as a gaggle of monsters surged out straight for them. They looked like purple goblins with course, with grayish hair tied in an old lady-styled ponytail and burlap sack trousers. Link hardened his gaze and, after sending Adri another pleading look, rushed head on at the beasts with a wild yell. Every time his sword made contact it would cut surprisingly deep into the monsters' flesh, causing them to burst in a cloud of smoke. Despite the danger though, Adri couldn't move. Her body felt numb, the same numbness that had gripped her when she saw that black monster in the woods. She could hear Link shouting at her to run again and again, but she couldn't respond let alone make her body obey her.

At least until the grotesque purple face grinning jumped into her vision. A crude club came down, and Adri forced her sluggish muscles to react and allow her to jump out of the way before the thing bashed her head in. It created an indent in the dirt right where she had been standing. That didn't seem to phase the goblin as it made to swing at her again. By now more were starting to surround her, cutting her off from Link as he fought off the constant flow from the bushes. They kept trying to swing at her, and Adri had to force her legs to obey as she tried to avoid the blows. It was getting harder though, especially since more were beginning to surround them. _What now?_

That's when something caught her eye. A few feet away from her a long stick lye on the ground. It was thin, yet seemed sturdy enough to take a hit or deal a savage blow, and looked twice and long as her. Adri narrowed her eyes and, without paying attention to the clubs that were coming at her, dove for the stick. She automatically did a shoulder roll, silently thanking her P.E. teacher for forcing the class to learn basic tumbles, and felt her fingers close around the slender rod.

It was like something clicked in her head. Suddenly the ach in her hand increased as she swung the stick at the oncoming goblins. The wide sweep caught three squarely in the chest, sending them flying back into a tree. Once they hit the ground the monsters burst into clouds of smoke, but there wasn't time to relax. As soon as they had recovered from Adri's sudden attack, the others moved in with a loud series of screeches. Adri hissed between her teeth as pain shot up her still injured arm, but ignored it as she rushed at the monsters. The staff easily caught the running monsters, keeping enough distance between her and her enemies. And allowing her to strike one that was about to jump Link from behind.

Link turned as the explosion followed bellowing, "What are you doing!"

Adri backed up as the goblins surrounded them again, noticing that their numbers were falling. To Link she growled, "Saving our necks! Duck!"

She struck another that had leaped at his head. By now the pain and the ach had been dulled to a throb. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins and her blood was roaring in her ears. Still, the fear from before had not quite evaporated yet and it threatened to render her helpless again. Adri bit her lip as three more were caught by her staff trying to shut out the voice that told her to stop and run for it. Link sliced the goblins one after another, his eyes blazing with inner rage. Finally the constant waves stopped and the monsters hightailed into the brush, leaving an exhausted Link and Adri.

Adri felt her knees buckle, the rush of battle gone, and she fell on her back breathing hard. She stared up at the canopy catching her breath. _How did I just do that? _Link's face loomed over her's, an equally tired expression on his face. He smiled, and offered his hand. Adri took it and he helped her to her feet.

"You alright?" he asked, "They didn't hurt you or anything, right?"

Adri nodded, once again trying to ignore her itching palm. She touched the bandages on her arm gingerly sighing, "Yeah, but I'm going to be sore for a while. Uli's going to kill me."

Link laughed. "Not if we tell her what happened." He then looked into the brush, his eyes narrowing again. "But I knew something was wrong. The bokoblins have never been this numerous before."

Assuming the goblins were the bokoblins, Adri asked, "What does that mean though?"

"It means Talo is in trouble. Come on!" Not bothering to sheath his sword, he took off running into the brush. Adri chased after him, keeping an eye on Link's mop of hair since his clothes blended in perfectly with the leaves. The staff she kept in her hand just in case another troop of monsters stampeded them again. They were going deeper into the trees now. Adri had to duck as branches whipped by her face since Link wasn't slowing down for anything. The grove elevation was beginning to climb a bit too, and soon they were running out and into a tree tunnel. Once on the other side, they were in another clearing just like the one before the spring. Link stopped as if he knew this area too. However, judging by the look on his face, Adri could see that he hadn't come this way in a while. He looked around as if searching for something.

"Where are you…" he muttered.

Adri was about to ask what he was talking about when a whistle came from a nearby tree. A streak of blue flew from a branch and a small blue bird with the biggest head she had ever seen landed on Link's outstretched arm. It let out a squawk as it adjusted itself, then opened its big yellow beak and, to Adri's surprise, spoke.

"Link! Coro send you?"

"Nah, Trill. I've got a problem right now. Did a kid and monkey pass through here?"

Trill's head bobbed in response. "Yep! Bokoblins had them in a cage! Took 'em up there." It pointed out of the clearing and to another path, this one overgrown with bushes.

Link nodded and thrust his fist into the air allowing Trill to get a good lift off. The bird flew off back into the trees. Once the he was gone, Adri focused her attention back on Link. "It talks?"

"Myna bird," he said matter-of-factly, "Very intelligent creatures. Now come on, we don't have time to just stand here."

Without waiting for response Link ran straight for the path ignoring the branches that slapped in his face. Knowing she couldn't lose him Adri followed through. She used the staff to keep the branches away from her face and to clear a way so she could see the path beneath her feet. Still, her hand was causing her to loose focus on Link's hair. The ache was back again, this time an increasing throb that tore her attention away from her guide. By now the palm looked like she had been bit by a spider and the red swirl was back clearer than ever.

_What is with this hand? And where did that swirl come from?_

"Adri!"

They had reached the edge of the brush, but Link hadn't stepped out yet. He pointed ahead whispering, "Up there."

Ahead was a wide bridge, not made of stone but naturally formed by a massive hollowed-out tree branch. An ancient tree was the bearer of the branch, and it made the branch look puny when a comparison was made. It towered from within a deep valley that was who knows how deep above all the other trees around it and stood there like a guardian of old. However it wasn't a normal ancient behemoth. Adri could see that the bridge led up to a wide platform, and from it she could screams.

Adri's eyes widened. "That's got to be Talo!" she whispered.

Link nodded, and jabbed again at the tree. It was with that second look that allowed Adri to see what was keeping him from leaping out. At least seven bokoblins were camped out in front of a small wooden cage. And within the cage screaming in fear was Talo along with the monkey he had been chasing.

"There's a lot of them around that cage," Link said urgently, "And if we try to go through the bridge they'll overrun us within seconds." He closed his eyes in thought groaning, "What do we do?"

Adri looked back at the Link, then at the tree again. She closed her eyes, more thoughts running through her head. _We take the bridge we're sitting ducks. But maybe....that might actually work!_

"I've got an idea." Before he could question her Adri ran out of the bushes and started waving her arms shouting, "Hey! Pea-brains! Over here!"

The bokoblins heads flew up and five rushed across the bridge and straight for Adri. She heard Link scream for her to run, but shot him a look. "Get up there and save Talo. I'll distract them."

A club came down on her head as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Adri raised her staff, whipping it around in a sweep as two more surrounded her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Link running up to the tree. There were at least two left on guard duty, but that wasn't the least of Adri's worries. Clubs were raining down upon her forcing her to dodge as much as possible. For every attack she swung, sending her assailants flying. However she had only managed to take care of two, and there were still more bokoblins leaping at her. Her hair hung in her face and she panted, pain running up her left arm. _I'm not going to last at this rate. Come on, Link! Get that kid out of there._

A shout answered her plea. Sword raised Link ran at the bokoblins, cutting into each one. Adri followed up his slashes with attacks of her own, sending the monsters flying back, and giving Link an opening for a stab. The combination of the two weapons, long and short range, complimented each other perfectly. Adri kept the bokoblins back as Link went in for the finishing blow.

When the last of the monsters burst into a cloud of black smoke Link let out a loud sigh. He was breathing hard, just as hard as Adri, and sweat was running down the sides of his face. He smiled and, to Adri's surprise, laughed, "They didn't stand a chance." Link looked up at her, wiping his brow. "We make a pretty good team."

Adri chuckled, wincing a bit as her arm throbbed. "I guess. I've never used a weapon like this before."

"You're a natural," Link said. He then stood up and beckoned Talo, who had been taking refuge in a nearby tree, forward. "Let's go home."

***

"Link…..you're not gonna tell my dad about this….are you?"

By the time they had gotten out of the tunnel, the sun was setting. The sky was cast in the red and oranges of dusk and a couple of stars could barely be seen. There weren't any hidden bokolbin ambushes in the brush, so the trip through the valley had been peaceful to say the least.

Link smiled and shook his head. "No, I promise."

Talo looked at Adri, asking, "You won't either, right Adri?"

"No," she said. She held up her pinkie saying, "I pinkie swear. Can't break a pinkie swear."

A bit confused, the boy stuck out his pinkie and Adri wrapped hers around it. This brought a smile to his face. With a small wave he started running out of the forest. Adri was about to stop him, but Link held her back. "All the kids know how to get out of the woods from here."

"Link! Adri!"

Both turned in toward the voice and saw Rusl walking up to them, leading Epona. Next to him was a boy with the same round face as and kindness in his eyes as Uli. He smiled shyly at Link and made a jerky sort of wave to Adri. Rusl tousled the boy's hair and it was safe to assume this was his son, Colin. Once he was done he fixed Link with a calm, yet stern look.

"Colin told me Talo had disappeared in the woods. I came as soon as I heard….."

"I took care of everything, Rusl," Link said. Adri could detect the pride in his voice.

Rusl crossed his arms though as he added, "Tell me, have you noticed how strange this wood seems lately? I feel…..almost uneasy about what may lie in wait."

"Coro said there had been a lot of bokoblins lately, dad," Colin piped up.

"There were," said Adri. She cringed as she moved her arm. "We had to plow through hordes of them to get anywhere."

"Strange……" Rusl seemed lost in thought for a second, but his features brightened once more as he said, "Anyway…..tomorrow is finally the day. You will be departing for Hyrule!"

Adri shot a look at Link, feinting hurt. "You're going on a trip? And you didn't tell me?" She laughed as she added, "Rescuing a damsel and a boy from certain death isn't enough excitement for you?"

Link laughed and was about to make a comeback when a chuckle from Rusl stopped him, "My dear girl, Link wanted you to go with him. And I asked the Mayor and he approved."

Grinning from pointy ear to pointy ear, Link let out a wild cry of joy. He looked at Adri exclaiming, "I'm not leaving you behind after today! You want to come?"

"You know, you really should've asked you that before you got approval." Adri laughed at the confused look on Link's face. "In other words, of course I'll come!"

***

"Everything packed?"

"Yep. Got my new staff too."

The morning after the incident was hectic. The night before, due to Uli's insistence and fussing, Adri had packed all that she would need for the trip including her new weapon. Rusl had wanted to harden the birch stick, but there was no time. Still she felt she would be ready as she ever could be. After all, being flung into this world should count for something.

"Then good luck to you! And return safely!"

"I'll just get this stuff up to Link's house, then I'll be back to say good-bye," said Adri. There was no way she could leave without saying bye to Colin. After telling him all sorts of stories from her world (or as much as she dared) and recollecting rescue last night the boy looked at her with almost the same gaze as he did Link.

Uli smiled and nodded. "Then you had better hurry."

With a grin on her face Adri shouldered her pack and, gripping her staff tight, bolted out the door. She ran through the village, all her thoughts focused on the prospect of an adventure. She up ahead she could see Link's house coming into view. From the deserted feeling around the clearing, she could tell no one was home. That didn't phase her much though. Instead she left her pack under the sign, then started jogging back to the village in search of her friend. Adri whistled, silently musing, _Well, you wanted adventure, you got it!_

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! More coming soon!

* * *


	5. Chapter 5: Curtains of Twilight

Hah, didn't expect two chapters in a row didja!? Well, this one has been in the works for a long time, so I was happy to get this one all typed and ready for posting. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! And here are the cookies I promised for reviewers! *slides out plate of cookies*

_Bren: Now my turn. Storm doesn't own The Legend of Zelda series. She does own Adri.....and me, so no stealing!_

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Curtains of Twilight**

"Okay, he said if he wasn't at the house he'd be at the ranch," she said to herself as she jogged, "He should be done by now anyway."

The village was fairly quit. It felt kind of like it was holding its breath for something. Well, that was expected since today was the day Link would be going to Hyrule. Adri waved to Sera, who was sweeping out on the porch of the store, then looked up towards the hill. She glanced down at her left arm, moving it gently, glad that the spring and ointment had done their work. All that was left of the wound was a thin series of scars across her forearm. Adri sighed and returned her focus to the road. Up ahead she could see a familiar horse coming down the road from the ranch with a familiar rider on her back. Adri smiled a quickened her pace.

Once she was at Bo and Ilia's house she stopped. Link saw her and jumped off Epona. "Hey Adri. Ready to go?" She noted, trying to keep from laughing, that a pair of blue earrings was hanging from his pointy ears.

"Yeah. Stuff's already packed back at your house. We'd better get going already," she said as she waved to Ilia and tried to suppress her giggles.

Bo laughed and patted her on the shoulder. "That's the spirit young lady. But before you go, Link I want to have a quick word with you."

As Link was pulled to the side by Bo, Adri walked over to Ilia, laying a hand on Epona's side. "I hope she'll be able to carry us both."

"Epona is strong. There should be no problems." Ilia then gently stroked Epona's flank saying, "The path before you is long, my sweet horse....but please bear Link and Adri safely along it."

With a sigh Adri rubbed the mare's nose, the events of yesterday either forgotten or pushed out of her mind. _I must have been too excited yesturday_, she thought,_ That's why I thought I heard a voice in my head._ As she stroked Epona, completely convinced that the incident had all been in her head, there was a gasp from Ilia. "Wait....what's this?" Adri looked down and saw a large gash above Epona's hoof. Something like that could leave a horse severely lame if it wasn't taken care of. Link and Bo turned around, looks of worry on both their faces. _Uh oh...._, she thought and braced her ears for what she knew was coming.

"What's happened?" cried Ilia, "Link she's injured!"

Link placed a hand on Epona's leg saying, "I...."

"Link! How could you!" yelled Ilia hotly, "You were pushing her too hard again, weren't you? I bet you hurt her leg jumping fences, didn't you!"

"Ilia I..."

Bo cut in, "Now, now Ilia. There's no need to be so hot with him..."

"FATHER!!" she screamed. Both men flinched and bowed their heads.

"How can you be so easy on him? You're the MAYOR! You should start acting like one!"

"Alright Ilia, calm down," said Adri trying to keep her voice level, "You shouldn't cut your dad down like that...

"Stay out of this Adri!" Ilia snapped, "If you're defending Link you're just as bad as he is."

"But..."

"Ilia I'm sorry! If you're going to yell do it at Fado. He set up the fences, not me."

_Oh....no...._

"That's it! Come on Epona, you poor thing....once we soothe your leg in the spirit's spring, you'll feel better in no time."

In a huff the girl left with Epona's reins in hand. Link and Bo just stared open mouthed as they walked away. Bo came to his senses first, and called, "W-wait, Ilia! Why without Epona....the gift won't get delivered in time." He let out a defeated sigh. "Oh, this won't do."

Adri walked up to Link and opened her mouth to speak, but didn't. She so wanted to punch him in the stomach for his stupidity. Instead she figured that Ilia had done enough damage and there was nothing more that needed to be done. Link lowered his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"Let's go find Ilia and convince her to give us back Epona," growled Adri. She took off running with Link at her heels.

It didn't take long for them to reach Link's house. Just as they were about to follow the path to the spring, Colin stopped them. He looked up at them saying, "....Link, are you going to see Ilia?"

"Yes."

Colin looked down, then said, "Maybe it's just me....but those guys don't normally let people through...." He gestured to the tree shrouded path. Talo and Malo stood at the entrance like a pair of guards. Link groaned, and Adri smiled to herself. _Maybe Ilia convinced them to stop us._

"Um, Link, you think.....we could all go see Ilia together?"

Link smiled and placed a hand on Colin's shoulder. "Of course, Colin. Come on."

Colin stuck close to Adri while they walked towards the brothers. Once they had approached them, Talo cried, "We've been waiting for you Link!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, yesterday was soooo much fun! Chasing that monkey was the best!" He looked down at Malo smugly, "I was just telling Malo here how we wanted to show it to him, but we let it go instead!"

"Oh really," giggled Adri. Just then Talo spotted Colin. He crossed his arms and frowned.

"Way to spoil everything by telling your dad, Colin. Nice job."

"Yeah, thanks a lot!" added Malo, "We got scolded something awful. I thought it was never gonna end...."

Adri felt Colin tense up next to her. He let out a grunt as if trying to let something out, but couldn't. She laid a hand on his head in comfort. _So this is why he's so shy. This must be pretty routine. _Out loud she said, "Leave him alone you two. It was your own fault that you wandered into the forest."

Talo glared at her, then let out a 'hmph' and looked at Link. "Hey, Link, lemme borrow that wooden sword! If I'd had that sword yesterday, I could've handled it all alone, definitely."

Link rubbed the back of his neck, smiling as if this was pretty routine for the boy to make this request. "I don't know Talo...."

"Awww, c'mon!" Talo crossed his arms saying, "Look, we're not gonna let you leave here until you let us borrow it, Link."

"Black-mail huh?" said Adri in a teasing manner, "That's pretty serious Link."

"Yes it is. But we need to see Ilia so....alright, here." Link unstrapped the sword from his back and handed it to Talo. The boy's eyes practically shot out of his skull when he saw what he was holding in his hands.

"Whoa! Yesss!" Talo screamed, "With this thing....I'll show 'em!"

The boy ran out of the way, Malo trailing behind him, shouting for joy. They watched him run over to the scarecrows and start swinging away. Adri heard Link sigh when he saw him. "He'll never learn."

"Link...thanks," said Colin

"It was no problem," said Adri, "Seemed pretty easy for Link."

Colin smiled nervously. He then looked back at Talo as he swung the sword wildly. He grimaced as he watched the wooden blade slice the air. "Those guys are always teasing me...." Colin's eyes hardened. "What's so fun about swinging something like that around, anyway? I hate it.....it's scary...."

Before Adri could say anything, Link jumped in, "There are a lot of things that are scary, Colin. You just need to be brave enough to face them."

The boy perked up and gazed at Link adoringly. He grinned saying, "When I grow up, I'm gonna be just like you, Link!" He ran off into the grove towards the spring.

Adri looked at Link, a smug look on her face. She placed a hand on her hip and said, "Well, well, you can comfort a poor little kid about being brave and stuff like that, but you can't stand up to a girl. Some hero."

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

Adri took off running into the trees. Link trailed after her shaking his fist in mock anger. Adri, feeling playful, stuck her tongue out at him and sped up. However once they had reached the spring they found, to their surprise, that the gate was locked. Inside Colin stood next to Ilia and Epona. Ilia was dabbing the gash on Epona's leg with a cloth.

"Ilia, you don't know what happened yesterday...."

Colin turned around when he heard their footsteps. "Link! Adri!"

Without looking at them Ilia snapped, "If you came to get Epona back, you can FORGET it! Why don't you think about what you've done for a change and take responsibility. I'm not opening the gate until you change your attitude, Link!"

"But Illia..."

Ilia ignored Link's plea and turned back to Epona. Colin looked at her pleadingly, then turned to Adri and Link. "Listen, I don't know if she'll listen to me, but let me try to explain about Talo and the monkey, OK?"

Adri crossed her arms. "How are we going to get in with this gate being locked like this?"

"You two crawl in through the tunnel in the back while I talk to her," Colin explained, "You know the way, right Link? The one in the woods."

Link nodded and gestured for Adri to follow him. They back tracked through the trees until they came to a rock wall. The sound of gurgling water could be heard on the other side of it. Link looked at Adri.

"I used to use this tunnel all the time when I was a kid. It leads straight into the spring." He got on his hands and knees and peered through. "Might be a tight squeeze now...."

"Might as well try anyway,"said Adri, "There isn't any other way in and we need Epona badly."

"Alright then. Just let me go first. If it's too tight, I'll let you know."

With that said Link started crawling through. He disappeared as the bushes covered the entrance again. Still, she heard a couple grunts and growls from inside. She could just picture Link getting stuck inside or bonking his head on a rock somewhere. She chuckled a bit at the image.

As she was wrapped up in her thoughts, Adri heard Link's voice from the back. _Must've managed to make it all way through, _she thought_, My turn then._ Adri got down on her hands and knees and crawled in. Link hadn't been kidding, it was a tight squeeze. Kind of narrow for her but still had a bit a of elbow room. Still she made it out with few mishaps. Once she was at the end, Link helped her to her feet. Adri brushed the dirt off her jeans as she heard a shocked voice.

"I had no idea....no one told me the details about Talo's capture..."

"It's all true Illia!"

"But, Colin..."

Adri cleared her throat at that moment. Colin and Ilia both looked up at them, even Epona perked her head up when she saw Link. Ilia frowned, still trying to be tough, and made a protective grab at Epona's reigns. The horse snorted and shook her head, jerking the reins away. Ilia sighed in defeat.

"So you still prefer your master over me, huh Epona?" As Link walked up to her she said, "Don't worry about your horse, Link. Fortunately the wound isn't too serious. You three can go together."

Link rubbed Epona's forehead lovingly. The mare responded by pushing her muzzle against his hand, causing him to stumble back a bit. Adri giggled at this. It was like Epona, in her own way, was telling Link not to injure her like this again. Link smiled and said to Ilia, "Thanks for taking care of her."

Adri wanted to slap him so badly at that moment. He had that same idiotic look on his face that all the boys get at school when they see a pretty girl. Instead she said, "We'd better get going then. Bo said it would be bad if the representatives from Ordon were late."

"Hope you guys have a safe trip!" piped up Colin. Link laughed and tousled his hair.

Ilia nodded, but then paused and closed her eyes. "But Link....can you at least promise me this? No matter what happens on your journey, don't try to do anything...out of your league. Please."

Adri laughed at how red Link's face became at the request. She threw her arm over Link's shoulder saying, "Don't worry Ilia. He's got me to look out for him. I'll make sure he's safe, sound, and doesn't do anything stupid."

Link grimaced a bit at her words, but grinned back at her. "Yeah, wouldn't dream of it."

"Just come home safely," finished Ilia.

For a moment there was silence between the group. All that could be heard was the gushing of water from the spring in the background. Adri felt like the silence magnified it. She didn't get a chance to savor the moment though as she watched Link's red face turn even redder. Now she seriously wanted to slap him, wait....no, better yet punch that goofy look right off of his face.

Finally, like he was making some dramatic resolve, Link nodded. "I promise, Ilia."

Now the whole time Epona had been fidgeting. At first Adri thought it was just because she wanted to get going already and was too distracted with Link making a fool of himself to think about it, but began to realize that is wasn't nerves. The mare snorted and let out a worried whinny, jerking the reins out of Link's hands. Link tried to calm her down asking what was wrong, when the ground started to shake beneath their feet. All four of them, including Epona, looked at the gate as a rumble filled the air. The thunder of hooves pounded down the road as a huge boar crashed through the gate.

Everyone scattered. Adri dodge-rolled to the side, managing to get a glimpse of the ones riding the boar. There were two goblin like creatures on its back, one holding the reins and another armed with a bow and club. They looked a bit like the bokoblins in Faron Woods. Unlike them, though, these seemed to know what they were doing and seemed to be enjoying it. They let out screeching howls as they chased the others around the spring as if they relished in their destructive rampage. There was a murderous gleam in their little red eyes that she did not like.

"Ilia!"

Adri turned to see Link running to Ilia's side in order to protect her. But before he could reach her a goblin fired an arrow between her shoulder blades. She barely saw her collapse before hearing a scream from Colin. Adri ran towards him and pushed him away before the club could get him.

"Colin run!"

"Link behind you!"

She turned just in time to see the club come in contact with the back of Link's head. He fell like a sack of potatoes. Adri heard Colin's scream again and a groan as he fell as well. Adri gritted her teeth and glared at the monsters that had done it. She grabbed a nearby stick on the ground, hating the fact that she had left her staff back at Link's house, and readied herself for a fight, but it never happened. Instead she felt a crushing blow on the back of her skull. The last thing she heard were howls, grunting laughter, and a blaring horn.

***

A loud scream split her conscious. Link's scream. Adri's eyes flew open. _Link, Ilia, Colin!_ Adri sprang to her feet, immediatly regretting it afterwards due to the immense dizziness. Plus she was soaking wet. "Thanks for that," she groaned while rubbing the huge bump on the back of her head. _Hold it, no time for that_, she thought once she looked around. Link, Ilia, and Colin were nowhere to be seen. Adri balled her hands into fists. She turned to the broken gate and started running in the direction of the village to find the one person she knew could help: Rusl.

But the minute she got into the trees, the ground began to the tremble again. This time more than before. Trusting the uneasy feeling in her stomach Adri dove into a bush. She crouched low and watched the road through the branches. It didn't take long for another boar to show up, followed by a second one, with two riders each. They stopped for a minute, exchanging a series of grunts and howls that made up some strange language. As they talked, Adri managed to get a good look at their cargo. Her blood boiled. Strapped to the saddle bags unconscious were Talo, Malo, and Beth.

The goblins rode away. Once they were far enough away, Adri crawled out. She glared at their backs. _Forget Rusl! They need to be saved now!_

She ran after the boars, careful to keep enough space between them so they wouldn't be able to spot her. Along the way she grabbed a handful of rocks and another short, but sharp, stick. They weren't much, but at least she would have something to defend herself with. As they neared the bridge she raised the stick thinking, _I'll cut them off at the canyon. It won't be long until_ "oof!"

Adri slammed into something solid. At first she thought it was one of the boars and got ready to attack, but realized it wasn't. She gasped in awe and shock at the sight before her. A high wall barred the way through the canyon. It was ink black, with golden symbols all over it that glowed with the subtle light of dusk. But it was not at all like the comforting colors Adri loved. There was something sinister and dark about it that made a chill run down her spine. Of the boar riders there was no trace.

She stared at the wall, the rocks and stick falling from her grasp. _Where are they? They had to have gone through here. There's no other way out!_

Her thoughts turned to Link and everyone else. Adri gritted her teeth together and balled her hands into fists. In her frustration she punched the wall. Ripples ran along the surface, like ones on a black pond. Adri watched as they disappeared. _But....how...there's no way.... _Suddenly there was a rush of air. Before she could move a huge, black hand shot out of the wall, grabbing her by the throat. Adri was dragged through the wall. A cold feeling like slime ran over her body as the darkness blocked her vision. She could hardly breath as the blackness filled her senses and the hand cut off her air. When the black finally cleared she found a monstrous face looming over her. It could hardly be called a face for an iron plate with bizarre designs covered the head. The monster itself had ink black skin with a symbol in pink on its chest, the same like the ones on its face plate and the black wall. Black tentacles hung from its head like hair, reminding Adri of the aliens from "Predator." The hand that held her was huge with long fingers and attached to a long, sinewy arm. Despite its thin structure, though, it held her in an iron grip.

Adri gazed at the face in fear for a second, but automatically started fighting the next. She kicked at the monster's chest, but might as well have been kicking a wall of steel. Her kicks hardly phased the thing and its grip tightened around her throat. Adri choked, her fingers tearing at the hand that held her. "Let me go!" she yelled. In the back of her mind she mentally slapped herself again for leaving her staff at house.

As she fought to be free, a light began to glow on the back of her hand. With every kicked and jab it pulsed brighter until it was a brilliant flash. It flared as Adri growled, "Let...me....go!"

When the light blazed, the monster threw Adri against a tree with a screech. As she hit the ground, she watched as it slunk away groaning in pain. She wearily got to her feet and shook her fist at it. "Yeah you better run!" she yelled, then stopped, "Okay that was lame..." It was then that she took in her surroundings. She was in Faron Woods for sure, the trees confirming it, but not the same ones from the day before. A golden glow shrouded the woods in the colors of dusk, the same colors as the wall. Black pixely squares floated into the orange sky. This dusk wasn't right though. A dark energy radiated around her, an energy that chilled Adri to the bone.

A headache suddenly hit her. Adri groaned and dropped to her knees with a hand on her head. She rubbed her forehead, where the pain was worse. At the same time her vision started to blur as her heart began to beat faster. Adri gasped and went to all fours gripping the grass tight.

_What is wrong with me? Was it Link's cooking or something?_

Just as the headache got worse, the light on the back of her hand flashed again. She shakily flipped her hand over and raised it close to her face. In her fading vision Adri could see the same swirl from yesturday appearing on her palm with each pulse. Before she could question it the pain became unbearable. Adri let out a scream that echoed around the forest. She collapsed, the last thing she saw being the fading mark.

***

_Two? There's two of them?_

The imp watched as two messengers returned to collect the beast. They began to drag it away, all the while wincing at the light that it gave off. She started following them, sticking to the shadows of the trees. She was still in a combination of shock and surprise after what she had just seen.

When the first beast was dragged away, she had planned on following him. However when the band of bublins rode in through the curtain, she had held back to avoid any problems. The imp was surprised to see another boy be dragged in. At least she thought it was a boy until she heard the voice. She watched as the same events were repeated. Once the messengers returned, she floated after them, not wanting to lose either beast.

_Two beasts eh._ The imp grinned, revealing a small fang. _This will make things interesting._

_

* * *

_

_Bren: .......woah....you might've overdone yourself on that one. Better than the last chapter, that's for sure._

*laughs* Good, that means I did my job right! Hope you liked this one! Reviews are greatly appreciated! Storm signing off!


	6. Chapter 6: Land of Shadows

Okay, I'm tired, but I managed to get this baby ready for posting. Now that I'm getting into the wolf chapters, which I am loving to death, the story will begin to move along nicely. On another note, a friend of mine said I shouldn't have had Link say "Shut up" in the last chapter since this is a medival world. Well Link did say shut up in the Oot manga, so he's going to say shut up in my story......so shut up!

_Bren: .....er, yeah, what she said. Meh. Storm does not own The Legend of Zelda series(she wishes). She only owns Adri._

* * *

Chapter 6: Land of Shadows

The sound of dripping water echoed in her mind. It was getting really annoying really fast. Adri groaned and grumbled, "Cut it out Tim. I wanna sleep."

Since the water wasn't stopping, Adri's eyes flickered open, moaning as a head ache hit her. At first everything was blurry, but her vision gradually cleared as the pain lessened a bit. She wasn't in her room or the forest for that matter. Instead she found herself in a small cell surrounded by four walls, three being brick and the other a wall of bars. It looked to her like one of the jail cells in a prison, except these were different. And not in a good way. Everything was cast in the same golden glow as Faron Woods, only there weren't as many black squares in the air here. On the back wall there were shackles for prisoners with some of the old occupants still hanging from them. There were a couple piles of hay in the corners and an ever present sound of dripping water, the source of her wake up call.

Adri's eyes were wide as she absorbed everything. Slowly she tried to get up, only to collapse on her stomach. She groaned again and tried to rub her head with her hand, but stopped short. Five inches away from her face was a paw covered in black Adri just stared at it. Her mind went blank as she forced herself to stand up, on all fours, and looked herself over. She was standing on four paws, was covered in night black fur, and had a tail. Adri drew in a shaky breath trying to ignore the muzzle that was constantly in her vision like some freakish mask.

_Okay Adri, calm down. It's all just a dream._

Next to her, the drip of water fell from the ceiling and came together to form a small puddle of water. Adri peered into it. A wolf with night black fur stared back at her. Now she screamed, except instead of hearing her voice it came out as a haunting howl. Adri clamped her muzzle shut in shock. _I can't talk!?_

There was a slamming sound as a door opened spreading dim light on the floor. Two shadows, one taller than the other, loomed in the light, followed by heavy footsteps. Out of instinct Adri started growling as the shadows came closer. From around the corner another of those octopus-head monsters appeared. And behind it was another person, one who made Adri's growl intensify.

A tall man stood outside the cell with the monster. He wore a robe of a mix of green and black with long flowing sleeves. A shoulder guard adorned his upper body. But the most disturbing part of his outfit was the helmet that was on his head. It was huge, resembling something like a fish head with sharp teeth and large, soulless eyes. All around Adri the air seemed to have grown cold, a lot colder than before.

He looked straight at her, then said, "Is this the second beast?" His voice was deep, yet at the same time high pitched and raspy. It made the fur on Adri's neck stand on end.

To her surprise a hissing voice came from beneath the iron plate on the monster's face, "Yes my lord. A fine beast, no?"

"And why is this one not chained?"

"None can touch it, my lord." Adri quickly registered that she was the 'it' they were talking about. "There is a light around it burns all who touch it." Then the monster chuckled, "Perhaps its hide would make a handsome rug if you wish to do away with it."

Adri bared her teeth and snarled, only to be laughed at by the masked man. Finally he looked away from her and to his partner. "Perhaps it will make a fine pet instead. Still, watch this one carefully. Now come, I wish to discuss how I want the search for that whelp carried out."

"As you wish, my lord."

They left. Not until she heard the slam of the door did Adri stop growling and lower her lips. _Glad they're gone. That guy even thinks about making me into a rug I'll..ugh, I don't even know the first thing about being violent._

Adri took a step towards the bars, but ended up tumbling head-over-heels onto the damp floor. Adri groaned and got to her feet, trying to balance herself. She growled in frustration. "Come on, this can't be that hard," she growled, literally. Adri closed her eyes sorting through her memories. One of them seemed to be the most helpful. It was back when she was six, when she used to pretend she was a horse all the time. She took a few hesitant steps forward and upon no incident trotted around the cell in triumph.

As for the puddle, Adri used it as a mirror to get a better look at her face. She was a wolf for sure, with black fur. However unlike a normal wolf her eyes were the same bright emerald green as they had always been plus had a spark of intelligence in them that a normal wolf would not have. On her forehead was a strange symbol etched in white, the only marking on her body. It looked exactly like the mark that had appeared on her palm.

Adri rubbed the spot with her paw. W_hy I'm like this? How did this even happen? And where am I anyway?_

The sound of the opening door came again. Immediately Adri started growling. In the light she could see a shadow looming towards her. It bore the distinct figure of horns. As it cam closer childlike laughter filled the air.

"Teehee, sounds like they've got your friend in here too."

From around the corner appeared a floating imp. She looked almost pixie-like with her tiny legs and thorny arms. Her skin was a swirling mix of white and black. On her arms and pointy ears were glowing green lines tattooed in the same patterns as the monsters that had attacked Adri. On the imp's head was a huge helmet that covered her left eye and bore large horns, which explained the shadow from before. Her hair was a bright orange, like flames, and pulled back in a small ponytail.

The imp's red and yellow eyes were focused on Adri. She grinned, a single fang present in her jaw. Quickly she turned around and called, "Hurry up you lazy beast!"

Adri hadn't once stopped growling after the imp showed up, but stopped when the aforementioned "beast" appeared. It was another wolf, much bigger than she was and obviously a male. His fur was different too, being a dark gray that looked like it faded to a green color in the light. The fur around his neck was long and fluffed up a bit like a mane. On his forehead was a white symbol too, but what startled her were his eyes. They were a bright blue, not gold, and very familiar.

The wolf stared at Adri, shock showing on his face. It was a few more seconds before he opened his muzzle. Instead of barks a familiar voice came out, "Adri, is that you?"

"L-Link?" asked Adri nervously nearly jumping when she heard her normal voice answer him. She walked closer to the bars and peered into the wolf eyes. They had that same gleam as Link's did. She gasped, backing up a bit before breathing, "It is you!"

Link looked down sheepishly. "Yeah. Looks like the same thing happened to you."

Before Adri could respond the imp interrupted with a laugh, "How sweet. The two beasts are reunited once more." In a blur of bubbles she phased through the bars. She floated over to Adri and started looking her over, circling around her and prodding her a bit with her tiny fingers. Adri had to restrain herself from snapping. Finally she stopped, placing a hand under her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm....seems you turned out fine...."

"Fine!" Adri roared, "I'm stuck in this stupid cell and I'm a wolf! You call this fine!"

"Easy girl," laughed the imp, "You want out of here, right?"

"Yes."

"Alright then! I suggest you start sniffing around. There's probably a hole somewhere in here that you can squeeze through." She added with an evil grin, "Gotta find your own way out." She began to phase back through the bars.

"Why you little...."

"Adri calm down," Link said, "She did the same thing to me, so just listen to her."

She wasn't happy, but if it meant getting out the cell, then she'd take it. Even worse was that she was going to have to smell her way out! As if sensing her distress the distinct smell of wet earth wafted into her nose. She hadn't smelled it before, at least until she had moved near the bars. Adri lowered her nose to the ground and sniffed. The scent was coming from one of the larger tiles in the corner. It was loose. She quickly slipped her head under one of the corners and flipped it over with a bit of effort, exposing the moist soil underneath it. A way out.

Link's tail started wagging like crazy. "There! Perfect exit!"

Adri nodded. She flexed her paws for a minute, than started digging. The dirt flew easily from her claws. Adri gradually slipped under the bars and was soon on the other side and out. She shook the dirt from her fur laughing, "Piece of cake."

"Yeah, I oof!"

Before he could finish his sentence the imp had landed on Link's back as if from nowhere. She patted his head despite his growls. "No, no, you calm down. Remember, I did something for you, so now you've got to do something for me."

"Fine." Link turned to Adri with a defeated look on his face and shuffled his paws. As he did a 'clink' sound came from his left forepaw. Adri looked down and saw a manacle with a broken chain clamped around his leg.

"What happened?"

"You can save this teary reunion for later," snapped the imp, "Get going!"

Link growled, but obeyed. He started running down the passage. Not wanting to lose him Adri chased after him. But she hadn't quite mastered walking yet and running was even worse. Her back legs kept tripping over her front ones and her body was constantly threatening to pitch forward onto the floor. Still she somehow managed to keep from falling, giving most of the credit to her tail, and finally caught up with Link. By that time he had stopped. They were now in a wide chamber with a ceiling that stretched far above them. Obviously they were in a tower of some sort. A metal grid made up most of the floor with tiny holes for drainage purposes.

As Link looked around, Adri spotted a door. She walked over and tried to reach up with her paws to open it, but to no avail. She pushed against it hoping it would open and ended up with the same result. She looked at Link saying, "Now what? We get out of the cells and we're still trapped in here."

"Look up there." Link pointed with his nose to the area above the door. Adri looked up and saw an open window. "We can get out through there."

"Yeah, but how exactly are we supposed to get up there?"

"Oh come on," laughed the imp. She pointed at a pile of rocks. "You two just need to jump from there." She moved her hand to the stones jutting out of the wall above the door. "To there. You humans can be so stupid sometimes."

"Just do that and I'll help you get an idea on where to go."

"We don't need your help," growled Adri. The stupid comment had stung.

Link looked at her pleadingly as the imp giggled. "Alright, if that's how you feel. Then let's see you do it on your own."

Adri growled and the imp just waved her hand in a dismissive sort of way. She snorted and climbed onto the pile of rocks. _Okay, just think of this as like the long jump....a very high, long jump._ She tensed up like a spring, feeling muscles she hadn't had before start working, then launched herself at the first stone. Her four paws touched down lightly onto the hard surface. Seeing no harm done Adri leaped at the other three stones until she had reached the top. She looked down at Link and the imp head and tail held high.

"How's that for skill?" she gloated.

All she got was a shrug. "You're smaller and likely lighter than this one, so you wouldn't need any help."

Adri glared at her, but didn't comment. She sat down and watch as Link copied her movements. He didn't look like he was leaping as lightly as she had, but he was getting help from the imp. The imp's hair suddenly slithered up into the form of a huge hand that swayed above her head. This hand seemed to pull Link a bit towards the ledges and helped balance him out as he landed. When they finally made it to the top Adri chose not to say anything. Instead they walked out of the tower. Link and Adri gasped.

They definitely were no longer in Faron Woods. They were standing in the window of a tower, which in turn was part of a wide stretch of tiled rooftop. Here, just like in the woods and within the dungeon (there was nothing else to call the passages and cells), everything was cast in a golden glow. Dark clouds drifted in the golden sky as black pixels rose into the air. Spiraling towers pierced the sky in the distance and even more stretches of roof could be seen. Again, the orange glow, although it looked like sunset, held no comfort for Adri.

A sigh of content escaped the imp. "Ah, isn't the black cloud of Twilight lovely today?"

Adri snorted. "Yeah, if you like dreary things." Once again though, her words were ignored by the imp.

Link looked back at the imp. "Where are we?" he questioned.

His response was a giggle. "You STILL don't know? I'd expect you to recognize your own kingdom."

"Huh...wait, this is-"

"No, no, wouldn't want to spoil the surprise," the imp laughed. She was seriously starting to get on Adri's nerves. "Anyway, look, there's someone I want to introduce you to...but I need you two to get to that tower over there." She pointed at the said tower.

Despite Adri's desire to snap at the imp, the two wolves raced across the rooftops. All the while they had to worry about the tiles sliding out from under their paws. Adri was worried about Link who, with that imp on his back, could be easily thrown off balance and be sent careening to his death. But they were able to make it to the tower without incidents. And once again, conveniently, a window had been left open by an idiotic monster. They leaped from the sill and into the tower. Inside was a spiraling staircase, leading up to a metal door that was partially open. Adri couldn't believe their luck as Link pushed it open a bit more and slipped inside.

They were in a spacious room. In one corner a fire burned inside a small fireplace, in another was a small four-poster bed with a night stand next to it. And on one side was a huge window of impressive metalwork. Standing before it with their back turned to them was a person in a black cloak. The hood was pulled up, so they couldn't see their face.

Link stared growling right away. Adri touched his shoulder to try to get him to calm down, but that growl caused the person to face them. Their face was shadowed by the hood, but Adri could barely make out bright blue eyes filled with fear behind it. There was a gasp and Link stopped, suddenly curious. He walked over with Adri following in his wake. She could see the imp rolling her eyes and grinning as if this was some great joke. It bothered her to the extreme.

"...Midna!?" The voice was light and musical, obviously feminine.

The imp, now known to them as Midna, giggled, "You remembered my name? What an honor for me..."

Adri shot a look at her and was about to say something when the robed woman approached the three of them. Her blue eyes were focused on them as she said, "So, one of them is the one you've been searching for."

"He's not exactly what I had in mind," said Midna, patting Link's head (not at all to his liking), "but.....I guess he'll do."

"And the other? Where did the she-wolf come from?"

"No clue. She's just extra weight I guess." Midna giggled a bit at her statement, earning a snarl from Adri. "Feisty one too."

The woman looked once more at Link, her eyes falling to the manacle around his leg. Her eyes widened as she breathed, "You were imprisoned." Link nodded, a funny gesture coming from a wolf. She bowed her head adding, "I am sorry."

"Poor things, they have no idea where they are or what's happened to them," said Midna, "So, don't you think you should explain to them what you've managed to do? You owe them that much.....Twilight Princess! Eeehee!" That little laugh of hers was starting to get on Adri's nerves.

Her head remained bowed, but Adri could see that she was in thought now. It didn't take long for her to raise her head and face both Adri and Link. There was a serious glow in her eyes. "Listen to me carefully," she said, "This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule." Link perked up at this. So this was the land that they were meant to have traveled to. Adri sat down, knowing that an important story was about to be told.

"But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the Twilight.....it has been turned into a world of shadows, ruled by creatures who shun the light."

"The day that he attacked, all had been calm. This was five days ago and I had been hoping to receive the audience of a peaceful fellow ruler. But it was a lie. Hyrule Castle was attacked by his army of shadow beasts before we could even muster an offensive attack. He barged into the throne room, the beasts easily taking out my men. He gave me only two choices: 'Life or death.' I couldn't let anything happen to my people, so I had no choice. We surrendered."

"Twilight covered Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits. Within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms...."

The woman bowed her head once more as her voice dropped almost to a whisper, "All the people know now is fear....Fear of a nameless evil...." She then stood up and reached for her hood. Her hands were covered by white gloves with embroidered gold thread that reached her elbows. She threw back the hood, revealing her face as her hair flopped onto the back of the cloak. Her hair was long and brownish-gold in the twilight with two pieces in the front that hung in braids by her face. Her ears were long and pointed like Link's too. As for her face, Adri took in a sharp breath at the sight. She was beautiful, even though the twilight distorted her face color a bit. On her head rested a small tiara of gold. Her blue eyes were even brighter now, but at the same time Adri could see more sadness in her eyes.

"The kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remain its princess....I am Zelda."

Adri heard a snort from Midna. "You don't have to look so sad!" She lazily floated into the air adding, "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"

"Says the weird imp," growled Adri, "I don't see you stuck in some shape you don't belong in." For a second she thought she saw a flash in Midna's eyes, as if her words meant more than she thought, but only for a second. They returned to their original state.

Zelda did not seem to notice the change. "Midna this is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you. Why is this?" she demanded.

Link shot a look at Midna. "What do they want you for?" he growled. Adri didn't say anything, out loud at least. _She must be the one that guy was talking about. Why would he want her though?_

Midna shrugged, answering, "Why indeed? You tell me!" she laughed.

Even if Zelda couldn't understand them, she turned to Link. "There is no need to worry. Midna may seem a bit....blunt....but she means well. I can feel it." Link nodded, wagging his tail a bit to get his point across. Adri rolled her eyes. This was going to be hard if they were ever going to communicate with people. The princess then turned to Adri. "Watch over them both. There is something about you that I cannot place, but there is power within your eyes."

Before Adri could try to say anything, Zelda looked up at the door, fear in her eyes. "You must leave, now. The guard will soon make his rounds." As Midna once again landed on Link's back hard Zelda began pushing them towards the door. "Quickly, before they capture you again."

"We don't need to be told twice!" laughed Midna, tapping Link's head, "Alright boy, let's go."

Link gave another futile growl, but complied. He turned around quickly and gave a small bow to the princess, then turned tail out the door. Adri copied his movements then followed after him. She bumped into Link the minute she got out of the room. She let out a grunt as a beam of light splashed across the stone steps. "The guard!" she yelped only to have Midna's hands shut her muzzle roughly.

"Shh!" hissed Midna. She looked up, then pointed at the window above them, the same window they had used to get into the tower in the first place. It wasn't too hard to make it out before the guard made it up the staircase. Of course Adri still felt it was too close of a call for comfort. Midna floated off of Link's back and out onto the roof skipping. Adri growled a bit, not at all liking her casual attitude. _What does she think this is, a game? For all we knew we could've been killed back there._

Link was hardly phased. He just walked out towards Midna, leaving Adri to contemplate the situation. _Okay, calm down Adri. Maybe this is getting a little too serious for you. It's all got to be a dream, yeah, that's it! A really cool dream. Any minute now I'll be waking up in my bed as my normal self and-_

"Hey furball! You asleep back there or what!" Midna's voice broke her thoughts. Growling, Adri approached the imp who was now floating in front of Link. Midna grinned, showing that creepy fang of her's.

"So, as I was explaining to my other furry friend here, do you understand where we are? Yes? Good, then that's settled."

To Link she said, "I guess a promise is a promise, so I'll let you go back to where you first tumbled into Twilight. Both of you," she added as she looked at Adri, "But....are you really sure you should be going back?"

"Of course I want to go back!" Link barked, "Anything to get out of this body."

"Are you sure you aren't forgetting anything important though," Midna giggled stroking her chin, "hmm....let me think....oh yes!" Before their eyes she transformed into exact images of Colin and Illia, both screaming. Both wolves gasped.

"Illia!"

"Colin!"

"Tee hee, do you want to save them?" she asked, speaking out of Ilia's image, "In that case little Midna would be happy to help you!"

Link eyes filled with hope, but Adri touched his leg with a paw. She fixed Midna with a trade mark glare. "What's the catch? There's always something."

The imp giggled as the illusion faded. "Guess you're not a dumb beast after all!" She ignored the snarl Adri gave her and continued, "Yes, you two would have to be my servants....and like servants you'd have to do exactly as I say."

"Fat chance!" Adri snapped, "I'm no one's servant, and there's no way I'm taking orders from you!"

"Adri she's our only chance," Link said softly, "If we don't, Illia and Colin could be...." His ears drooped at the thought. At that moment Adri remembered what she had seen.

"Link-"

"Why don't you go back, take a little time, give it some thought." Before either one of them could give her a response the world was enveloped in black.

* * *

So didja like it!? Hope you did! Reviews are much appreciated, I need some opinions or construcive criticism. Flames.....I'll put them out with my fire extinguisher of DOOM!!


	7. Chapter 7: Wolves in Ordon

Hey! Sorry this one took so long, but I was having a hard time writing this chapter for some reason. Oh well, it's done now. So hope you enjoy it. Bren if you would please.

**Bren: Storm does not own The Legend of Zelda, just Adri. You steal her, your life is forfeit.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Wolves in Ordon**

It was like she was torn apart into tiny pieces. Yet she could still think with her mind, even barely feel herself being hurled through the air. She couldn't see anything, just shadow. And Midna's giggle was still ringing in her ears. If she had any connection with her stomach she would've hurled in midair. _Please let this be over soon._

It didn't take long. Adri felt her body slowly rebuild itself and found herself in familiar surroundings. The slosh of water came from her feet and the spring roared in her ears. Yes, it was all familiar, but something still didn't feel right. She looked into the water beneath her, and the image reflected back at her caused her stomach to drop. She was still a wolf. Her ears drooped as she watched black pixels form Link's lupine form next to her. Once he was solid again, he looked around in shock. The look on his face when he saw himself showed that he was not at all thrilled with the form he was still in. And to add to their list of surprises, a giggle echoed around them.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot to mention one more thing....although you've left the darkened realm, you haven't transformed back into your normal selves." The giggle became laughter. "And you won't anytime soon!"

"What!" Adri snarled. She looked around for the imp sending water splashing everywhere. "You little-show yourself! Where are you!"

"Adri please calm down," pleaded Link, although there was a detectable growl in his voice. To the air he barked, "Midna where are you!"

"Right here!"

Before their eyes Link's shadow suddenly stretched and warped. It leaped right off the ground to float in the air in the shape of Midna. Now she didn't have her swirling patterns on her skin, instead she was almost see-through. The only thing that could be seen clearly was a bright tint of orange from her hair and her uncovered eye. She grinned and laughed, pointing at Link.

"You should see your face!" laughed she, "Did you think I'd just disappear?"

"We were hoping you would," Adri growled. This earned her a scowl from Midna, but she ignored it. "Look, could you just leave us alone. We were just going to come up with a plan to go rescue the children-"

"No you don't. You can't go saving your friends, not looking like that anyway. What would they say if they saw a pair of beasts like yourselves running for them?"

Link flinched at statement and his ears noticeably drooped a bit. Adri glared at Midna and shot back, "Well then, what do you expect us to do?"

"First off, I want a sword and a shield that will suit me." Midna's grin widened a bit as she continued, "Look, you won't be able to reenter the Twilight without the cooperation of someone FROM the Twilight, so you've got no choice but to do as I say. And I'd hurry. The longer you dawdle the more the Twilight continues to expand and the greater the chance your friends could be dead. Chop chop!"

With that said Midna dove back into the ground forming Link's shadow again. Both he and Adri stared at it for a few seconds, then came to their senses. Link fixed her with a look of worry. "Adri, what do you mean the children?"

Adri shook her head saying, "Let's just head to Ordon and get what that imp wants. I'll explain on the way."

She took off at a sprinting out of the spring, Link following close at her side. Adri surprised herself with how well she was keeping the pace, much better than her stumbling gate within the castle dungeons. They passed beneath the archway of trees, the sun's last rays lighting the path before them. Before long it was dark, but their new eyesight was perfectly adapted to this kind of light. As they ran, Adri explained what she had seen with Talo, Malo, and Beth. Of course Link gave her a short scolding for chasing after the monsters.

"What if you were killed!" he barked, "If you hadn't followed them, you wouldn't be like this!"

Adri's ears drooped a bit. _But I went after you too. I thought they had kidnapped you along with the kids and Ilia._ Out loud she sighed, "What's done is done, alright? Nothing can change the past."

There was silence between them after that. It didn't take long to reach Link's house. It seemed so dark compared to the way it had been the other night. Adri started to make her way towards the village when she heard a short whine behind her. She skidded to a stop and turned around. Link had stopped and was looking up at his home, his ears drooping and his tail lowered. He hung his head closing his eyes. Adri padded over to him.

"Link? Link are you okay?"

"How am I supposed to save them? How can I save everyone when I'm this.....this beast!"

"That's it," Adri growled. Without warning she leaped at Link, flipping him on his back. Before he could get up she was on top of him pinning him down without any signs of wanting to let him up. She lowered her head until her muzzle was right in his face. She narrowed her eyes, anger flashing dangerously within them.

"Listen, I don't want to here another word about beasts coming out of you, got it? It was bad enough coming out of Midna and I don't need you bashing yourself about it either." Adri's lips lifted a bit as she added, "I'm not letting you back up unless you promise not to say anything like that again."

Numbly, Link nodded. Satisfied she let him up, unscathed but still shaken. Adri shuddered inwardly when she imagined how she must have looked to him. _This wolf thing is starting to get to me._ Without another word they started at trot towards the village, but not before a squeak stopped them. It was soft but not too soft that their new ears didn't pick it up.

"Wait." They turned around. Perched on the patio area of Link's house was a small chipmunk. It paced too and fro, almost nervous in its actions. Adri couldn't believe her ears. _Wait...did that chipmunk just talk?_ Her question was confirmed as it spoke again.

"Please, if you're going into the village be careful! Monsters recently attacked and took the children, so everyone is in shock right now. If they see you.....," it paused, then continued, "But I know you two aren't bad because you smell like the trees of Ordon and the she-wolf carries the earth within her eyes. Still, be careful! If you run into any trouble talk to us; we animals can understand each other."

The chipmunk scampered off. Link and Adri didn't move for a second, then looked at each other. Adri was about to ask Link a question when he shook his head. He took off running past the gate and into the village. Shrugging as best as a wolf could, she followed. In the village however, there was something that just didn't seem right. What had once been a happy place suddenly seemed sapped of all joy. The creek didn't even sound the same without the voices of children filling the air. It was like a dark shroud had settled over Ordon with the recent kidnapping. The darkness felt like a heavy weight upon everything.

Still they had to find a sword and shield if only to make Midna cooperate. In the distance, in front of the house with the waterwheel, the light of a single lamp could be seen, and within its light two familiar shadows could be seen. Link started walking towards them. Adri followed suit, careful not to make a sound. That was easily accomplished with her new paws and her ears perked forward to detect any sound. They crossed the bridge without any problems, Adri blessing it for not creaking, and slipped into the bushes. Bo and Jaggle, a man Link had introduced her to the other day during the cat situation, were standing in the light of a lamp held by the later. Both men's faces were set in grim expressions of urgency.

"Alright, the shield's in the house right?" questioned Bo.

"Yeah and Rusl had the sword over at his place plus a bunch of other ones."

Bo nodded, then looked around quickly before continuing, "Good. I need you to get it. In the meantime I'll go and search for the children in Rusl's stead since he's too injured to move." Link perked up at this and leaned closer.

"But Mayor, Rusl had a sword and he STILL got hurt! If you go....."

"No time for that. Just get the shield and-" Adri slowly began to move closer when a twig snapped under her paw. Both men stiffened and looked straight at where the two wolves were hiding. Adri held her breath as they came closer. Before they could see anything though a loud splash echoed from who knew where. Bo and Jaggle both let out shouts and ran for it, leaving Link and Adri alone.

Link looked at Adri, confusion all over his face. "What was that?"

"I don't know but…"

"Honestly! Do you two need me to do everything?"

Link's shadow stretched once again as Midna reappeared. She crossed her little arms snapping, "I sent some magic flying at the slope over there." She pointed to the hill behind the mayor's house. "It sent a rock down into the creek. So you should be thanking me now for saving your furry hides."

Adri was about to comment, but Midna cut her off, "And nothing from your mouth, girl. You were the idiot who stepped on the twig. Sheesh, if you're this clumsy as a wolf I can't imagine how bad you are as a human."

"You-"

"Adri," Link stated. His voice had this funny quality that automatically calmed her, yet she couldn't figure out why. Adri shook her head and held her tongue, not happy but willing to listen to Link.

Midna shrugged, then continued as if nothing had happened, "Anyway, that's not a bad bit of information you heard, huh?"

Link nodded, turning towards Rusl's house. Despite the fact that they had gotten a great tip, Adri could see the worry in his eyes. _The way Bo put it, Rusl barely managed to survive the attack._ Adri placed a paw on Link's own saying, "Look, why don't you go check Rusl's house for the sword? I'll handle the shield."

"Adri are you-"

"Look, you're worried about Rusl," she sighed, "Just get going!"

Midna chose that moment to cut in, "Oh, and you might want to use that up there." She pointed to the roof. Adri looked up and saw a door into the loft wide open. The imp giggled as she added, "This village is full of idiots!" At a growl from Link she let out a small laugh. "A perfect example right here! Now are you going or no-"

Without giving a response Adri dove into the creek. While the imp had been making her snide comment a plan had already been forming in her head. Her legs churned beneath her as she swam to the waterwheel, forcing herself to get used to swimming with four legs. Adri snorted as the water entered her nose even as she struggled to keep her head elevated.

_Why couldn't I have been a fish or something with fins?_ she mused as her paws made contact with a plank on the wheel. Adri hoisted herself up as the wheel moved upwards, making sure she had the right balance on the slippery plank in order to achieve what she had been planning. She struggled to keep herself steady as the plank beneath her started rotating into a vertical position. The loft was getting closer though. Adri dug her claws into the wood praying her back legs wouldn't slip out from beneath her. As the plank was about to reach the loft she leaped. She clawed for holds in the wood, managing to drag herself onto the platform. She let out a sigh of relief.

_Need to be more careful next time._

Turning to the opened hatch, Adri slipped inside. She dropped onto something soft, finding herself on the topmost mattress of a bunk-bed. There were no lights inside the house except for another open window in the corner. Hanging next to it on the wall was a good sized wooden shield.

Adri grinned and padded over. The shield was hanging on a pair of metal fastenings in the wall, but she could see it had been hung too quickly. It looked ready to topple at any minute. Adri chuckled thinking, _Let's give it a hand then._

Lowering her head and pawing the floor like a bull she charged at the wall. Despite her conscious screaming she was going to regret this later she hit it head on. Instantly stars danced in her eyes quickly followed by a sharp pain on the top of her head. Adri yelped and backed up, still a bit woozy from the collision, and the shield landed at her feet after ungracefully bouncing off her head. For a wooden one, Adri couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship, and despite its simplicity there was an image of an Ordon goat skillfully carved into the oak.

Discovering a long strap of leather attached to it, Adri slipped the shield over her head. Knowing it was securely on her back she turned to the open window above her. She leaped and, balancing herself on the sill for second, landed in the creek outside. As she broke the surface of the water, coughing to clear the water out of her nose and hoping the shield on her back was alright, a sound caught her attention. Adri swam for the bank and after ridding her fur of water listened again. It was like the sound of someone drawing a sword.

The clang was followed by a howl of pain. Adri snapped her head in the howl's direction only to see a gray streak coming straight for her. She yelped as Link barreled into her, knocking the wind right out of her. They tumbled head-over-heels in the grass with Adri all the while trying to catch her breath again. When she did manage to get back on her feet, she gasped at the sight of Link. Though he had the sword strapped on his back, running down his leg was a trail of blood from a deep gash on his shoulder.

Before she could ask what had happened, he roared, "Run!"

Link bolted for the road without waiting for her reply. From behind her she could hear shouts of rage coming from the general direction of Rusl's house. Not wanting to know who the voices belonged to Adri followed Link barking, "Link wait up!"

He didn't though. The young man turned wolf raced ahead of her, past his house and into the woods. Adri desperately chased him, the shield banging uncomfortably against her back. At the speed she was going the trees were but a blur in her eyes, though all that really mattered to her at the moment was finding out what was wrong. The gray streak that was Link turned the corner and Adri chased him, only to find herself in Ordon Spring. Link was standing in the middle of the spring, his chest heaving and his ears drooped. She could hear him repeating one word over and over as if it was a curse.

"Why?"

Adri padded over, but didn't get far before Link turned around. The blood from his wound stained the water pink as it dripped down his leg. In his eyes she could see pain, and it wasn't because of his shoulder. Adri moved closer to him until she was looking directly into his face. "Link, what happened?"

Link lowered his head, his eyes darkening as he said, "He attacked me," he said, "Rusl attacked me." He looked back up into her eyes continuing, "After I got the sword, I heard Rusl outside the house. Adri, he was wounded! I wanted to see if he was alright and he swung his sword at me, in order to protect Uli."

"I heard her yell for help, but I didn't stay. I guess you know the rest."

His head went down again. Adri sighed and gently touched his shoulder with her nose. "But are you okay? I mean-"

"I'm not okay, alright!" Link snapped. He shoved her away as he barked, "I told you I can't save the children or Ilia looking like this! They'd run away as soon as they saw me!"

"Link…"

"Some hero I am," he growled, "I can't even save myself."

_Heroes...._

The voice echoed all around them. They both whirled around to face the spring and saw something floating at the top of the falls. What looked like a golden ball of light had risen from the water. Adri tensed up, not because of the sudden voice or the light, but another feeling. Something was wrong. Almost like a dark presence was slowly seeping into the tranquil air of the spring. It made her fur stand on end. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Link glancing around, his stance shifting into a crouch as if he sensed it too. She copied his movement, the darkness growing stronger. Again the sonorous voice spoke.

_Beware....a shadow being....it approaches...._

A sound like one of the transporters on the Sci-Fi channel reached Adri's ears. She looked at the night sky just in time to see it rip open. Pixilated squares like the ones in the Twilight rippled across the sky until they had formed what looked like a black hole with red lines running across the surface. Adri felt a growl forming in her throat as a black form fell from the hole. It landed with a splash, and was quickly on its feet. Her growl intensified into a snarl. The creature was just like the one that had pulled her into the Twilight and the guard that had been outside her cell.

Without warning it charged straight for them. Link, seeming to have recovered from his outburst, leaped aside roaring, "Adri move!"

She didn't respond, but dodged to the side out of the monster's way. But instead of going after her the thing just knuckle ran right past her. Adri turned to see the golden ball right in its wake. She bared her teeth and, ignoring the tiny voice that was screaming to get away, leaped into its path and bared her teeth. The monster came to a halt as she growled, "Stay away!"

Whether it understood her or not, she didn't care. All she saw was the huge hand coming down upon her. Before she could move it had wrapped its fingers around her neck and flung her across the spring. Adri's head collided with a rock, pain sent with a jolt through her body. She fell into the water with blood running down a gash on her head, but tried to stand up anyway shutting the pain out. A thought was passing through her mind though. The monster had done that exactly like the one from three days ago. There wasn't time to dwell on it though since the beast was coming at her again. Adri growled and planted her paws apart in order to absorb the charge that was coming, but it never reached her. From the side Link came, knocking the thing off its feet and onto its back.

He leaped back to her saying, "You alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Link smiled, grimacing from landing on his hurt leg. "Thank me later. We've got to get rid of this thing."

The monster was one its feet again. This time it swung its arm at them, but Link and Adri dodged to the sides. Without any form of signal they lunged at the beast. So in synch were they that they didn't notice anything else. Adri's teeth close around the black skin on its chest while Link latched onto its neck. Adri bit down hard, ignoring the awful taste that entered her mouth when she did, and wrenched her head away. What looked like black pixels fell away and the monster's legs buckled. Link's jaws had done their work as the head lolled to the side. It collapsed and, as they leaped off, burst into a flurry of black pixels. The pixels in turn floated into the sky, reforming the portal from before, only this time it was green instead of red. They both tensed up to anticipate another attack, but it didn't come. Adri let out a sigh of relief.

Panting, she turned to Link. "Glad that's over. But we did it."

Link laughed as he nodded. "Of course. Maybe not the most graceful victory, but we destroyed that thing."

Before she could answer, golden light flashed around them. Adri whipped around, wincing at the backlash from her head, and gasped. The golden orb they had been defending was rising into the air. The rocks in the spring were suddenly covered in glowing designs as the water became illuminated with light. A melodious call filled the air as the massive, familiar shape of an Ordon goat's horns encased the orb. A golden head phased in next followed by a body and tail. The huge creature before them looked just like an Ordon goat, only its tail was long and shaped like a fan. Swirls that pulsed with the light from the orb ran the length of its body and its eyes were two pinpoints of white in the golden form.

It lowered its head to their level and, with the same voice from earlier, spoke. _O brave youths...I am one of four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Ordona._ It nodded at the portal above. _The black beast you slayed was a shadow being. It had come to seize the power of light that I wield._

_My brethren in Hyrule have already had their light stolen by these fell beasts. The entire kingdom has been reduced to a netherworld ruled by the cursed powers of darkness._ Ordona suddenly fixed his gaze on Adri, the twin lights filling her vision. _The blight will not stop with Hyrule. Before long, the entire world of light will fall into the hands of the king who rules the twilight._

Adri's ears perked up at his last words. She stepped forward saying, "Wait, are you saying-"

_Your world will succumb to the shadow as well, child. If the Twilight is not stopped, there will be no safe haven for any who dwell in the light._

She gasped. _But...my family, everyone back home...they'll be..._ Her eyes fell.

_But there is hope._ Adri's head came up again as Ordona continued. _If you are to save this land from the king of twilight, the lost light must be recovered. The three light spirits who have lost their light must be revived._

Link cocked his head at the spirit. "So you're saying, if the spirits are revived Hyrule can be restored to the way it once was?" Ordona nodded. Adri let out a sigh of relief, but something else was bothering her. She stepped forward saying.

"But what about us? Are we stuck like this then?"

Ordona lowered its head until he was eye level with her. _Those who have been transformed by Twilight usually cannot regain their original forms..._ Adri felt like her bubble had just been burst, and from the loud sigh Link let out the words had the same affect on him. _Unless..._ At that word Adri perked up. _I smell a loophole_, she mused with hope. _If you were to return to Faron Woods where you were first transformed...If you were to revive the light spirit...There, by the power of the light spirit, you may find the means to regain your other state of being._

_Yet you have not discovered your true power...particularly you. Child, come closer._

Adri eyes widened. She turned to Link hoping her eyes would reflect her anxiousness at him. If the message did get through, he didn't respond. _Thanks a lot, Link. _With a gulp, Adri took a few hesitant steps towards Ordona. The light spirit fixed its gaze upon her. Suddenly Adri felt like she was fixed in place and found herself unable to look away from the twin pools of light. At the same time a sense of calm was slowly filling the air as the spirit's essence suddenly washed over her.

_Power sleeps within you, child, a power that has yet to be awakened and released. One that the goddesses choose for one mortal when times are dark and the time for a hero comes._ The spirit raised his head and before Adri could question his words light began to radiate from the golden ball resting between his horns. At the same time another equally brilliant light began to pulse from her paw. Adri gasped as the marking from before appeared on it, that same swirl that graced her forehead. With each pulse she felt energy flowing through her veins and filling her entire being. Over all this she could hear Ordona's voice ringing in her ears. _Adri, child of the earth, Beast of Shadow, I give you the first of Farore's gifts, the gift of tongues. May the languages of all living things be known to you and serve in your quest. And may the gods watch over you._

As quickly as it had begun, the river of energy was stopped. Ordona slowly faded back into the spring that he guarded. The bubbling of the spring could be heard once more and the chirps of crickets and frogs as well. As for Adri though, she felt wobbly on her legs and everything kept spinning. She felt like a pitcher that had been filled to tipping point. Her body was threatening to pitch forward, but Link managed to slip his head under her and keep her steady. What felt strange though was her paw. A tingling kept running up and down her leg and the mark, now a silvery patch of fur, hadn't gone away. Link looked at her with worry.

"Adri, are you alright?"

She nodded, managing to keep her legs from buckling beneath her. It was then that Link's shadow stretched and lifted away to form Midna again. The imp's single eye was wide and fixed on Adri.

"Okay, what was that all about?" she demanded, "What did that spirit mean by powers within?" Before she could answer Midna's eye narrowed. "Are you hiding something from us?"

"Why would I?" said Adri, "I have no clue what that was about, but what I'm more worried about the other light spirit."

Link's eyes widened for a second then were fixed with a determined gleam. "Ordona said if we restore Faron Woods, we'll be able to change back." He looked at Midna and growled, "We got everything you wanted, now time to uphold your end of the bargain. You will let us into the Twilight."

Midna glared at Link, but quickly dove back into his shadow with a nod. "Then head to the woods."

Satisfied, Link looked at Adri. She was still trying to rid herself of the tingling that had filled her body. When she saw Link's questioning gaze she shook her head. At the same time she noticed that the wound on Link's leg had healed, and realized that the pain from her head was gone as well. S_pring water, Uli said it had healing properties. Guess she was right._ "I'm fine," she said aloud, with a hint of wonder in her voice, "Let's just get to the woods and get into the Twilight." She then smiled gently adding, "And by the way, next time we meet one of those things, we don't hesitate to kill it."

Link's muzzle formed a smile and he nodded. With those words out of the way the pair of them sprinted out of the spring. As the bridge passed beneath her paws, though, questions about what the spirit had said were filling Adri's mind. _What was that about goddesses? I don't know any goddesses, and there can't be anything special about me. That fight with the bokoblins was just luck._

The sky was blotted out in seconds. Suddenly they were standing before the wall of shadow once more. Again the feeling of foreboding entered Adri's body as she gazed upon the shifting wall, just like it had when she had first seen the darkness. A growl started in her throat as Midna reappeared. She crossed her arms and sighed.

"Listen, the Faron Woods you know so well…they've been shrouded in Twilight. So…are you still sure that you want me to let you in?"

Adri looked at Link. She could see his answer in his eyes even as he nodded. She did the same in turn. Midna giggled and phased through the wall, sending ripples across the inky surface and distorting the symbols. A minute passed and Adri was beginning to think the imp had abandoned them when an orange had shot out of the wall. It groped along the canyon walls until it brushed against Link's nose. Adri yelped as she slammed into Link as they were scooped up. With a quick jerk they were dragged through the wall. Adri's senses were filled with the ink-like substance and all went black.

* * *

So...yeah, that's the chapter. Don't worry, hopefully the next won't be as hard to write. And I don't have much to say other than read and review.

**Bren: Please read and review. Flaming is my job, so none of those please.**

* * *


	8. Chapter 8: Woods ofTwilight

This chapter took forever! I had to type up three drafts before I finally wrapped around the right sequence and story. I was going to have this fight with some Twilight messengers, but it got canned because it didn't have the right feel when I wrote it out. So here you go, the eighth chapter of Farore's Wind. Sorry for the two month long wait, but it's finally done! Enjoy!

Bren: _Storm does not own the Legend of Zelda series or characters. The only one she can actually afford to own is Adri. And me._

* * *

**Chapter 8: Woods of Twilight**

The inky shadow slowly passed over Adri's fur as they were pulled through. It was slippery like oil and she almost felt like she couldn't breath, but that was quickly cut off as a glow began to fill her eyes. Without any warning the hand that had been holding her and Link relinquished its grip and dumped them unceremoniously onto the ground. Adri let out a grunt as she hit the dirt on her stomach. She could hear Midna's giggle ringing in her ears again, but ignored it as she got to her paws.

When she saw the woods around her, though, she couldn't help but gasp. Sure, technically she had already seen them, but that had been a frantic "get the heck out of there" moment. Now that there was no monster to deal with Adri could better take in the dark world she found herself in. Everything glowed in the earth real light, distorted and almost twisted as if she was underwater. Greens and blue were absent and replaced by dark hues. Sounds seemed to gain echoes in her ears. Even Adri's own breath sounded like it was reverberating off the trees. All the while a dark energy was radiating from the air, energy that made her fur stand on end. _How could this have happened? Link and I were in these woods yesterday and they were fine!_

Another one of Midna's giggles brought her attention back to Link. She saw the imp drop out of thin air and land on Link's back, the shield covering her face like some bizarre mask and the sword held in her hand. Adri noted the missing weight on her back, but focused on the strange scene in front of her. She rolled her eyes and moved a bit closer to the pair. The imp continued giggling behind the shield.

"Hm! So these are the weapons you use in your world?" she said.

Link snorted saying, "Of course. What else would we use to defend ourselves?"

Midna's response was another laugh. "You really think this can slay creatures of twilight?" She started rotating the sword saying, "How do you use these things anyway?" Without warning Midna started swinging the sword around wildly, the shield still covering her face. Link yelped in surprise and ducked as the blade zipped over his ears. The blade came Adri's way and she leaped away with a snarl to avoid being sliced by the sharp steel. However the imp stopped swinging as quickly as she had started. With a loud 'hmph' she stuck the sword into the ground blade first, just inches away from Adri's nose, and let the shield fall onto Link's head. He let out a startled bark and started shaking his head.

Adri shot another glare at Midna as the shield hit the ground growling, "Watch it! You could've hit us!"

"Oh please!" Midna chuckled, "I didn't hurt either of you, did I?" She crossed her arms continuing, "Besides, I'm not using these, but I'll hang onto them for you if you need them so badly." She snapped her fingers and the weapons disappeared in a flurry of pixels.

Adri growled, but made no comment. Instead she started focusing on a sound. It was a long, sonorous note, almost musical in tone. Link apparently heard it too and had turned his attention to it. Adri perked her ears forward in order to catch it better. The note was beautiful, more beautiful than any instrument could accomplish, yet at the same time there was an almost sorrowful quality to it. Almost like the whole forest was mourning its current state.

"Teehee, you hear it don't you? That's the lamentation of the spirit that had its light stolen," Midna said.

Adri looked at her. "You mean that's the actual spirit?"

"Right!" Midna then reached over and patted her on the head. "Good girl, you're catching on nicely."

A split second later Adri snapped at the imp's hand. Midna jerked it away, her eyes sending daggers at her. Adri growled, "Do that again and that hand's gone."

The imp narrowed her eyes saying, "Hmph, I guess a promise is a promise, no matter how rude someone is….I trust you two enough to help then. I'm going to need you to gather some things for me in exchange though." Link was about to protest, beating Adri to the point, but Midna stated, "Look, I can't tell you the details now. And you better get going, don't you think? Don't blame me for your world's fate if you don't hurry up and find that light!"

Link growled, but didn't complain. Adri couldn't think of much of a comeback either, but she did turn to Link. "Come on, let's get to the spirit."

He nodded and started running down the path, Midna clinging to his fur. Adri followed after him. As they ran, the glow of the twilight filled her vision and the trees became a blur. There was no sound in the forest other than the spirit's call and the sound of their paw. Not even the wind could be heard in the treetops. Sure Adri had to admit the golden glow possessed a surreal essence and almost calmed her, but when she remembered the former state of the woods she couldn't help but shudder. _How can light be blotted out like this? I ever see that man again, I'll kill him._

They traveled in silence and didn't speak until they had reached the spring. Just like everything around them, the spring was cast in a shadowy glow with the black pixels rising into the air. The water looked almost like flowing liquid gold now. Floating above the water's surface was what looked like a small cloud of smoke, and from it omitted the sorrowful sounds. Adri flicked her ears towards it as they walked into the spring.

As soon as they did, another note echoed in the air. A sound like a moan drifted from the flickering light down to them. _Blue-eyed Beast...Beast of Shadow..._

Link stepped closer, his eyes focused on the dying light. "You're the spirit of Faron Woods, aren't you?"

_Yes...I am a spirit of light..._ There was another moan and the spirit continued, _Please...retrieve my light...stolen by the dark beasts...but be careful...these woods...have been transformed...by the power of twilight..._

"We don't care," Adri barked, "We'll find your light and restore these woods to normal. Just tell us what we're looking for."

Link shot a look at her that screamed, "What are you doing!?" But the voice came back in an almost amused tone, _I knew...only the Beast of Shadow...would ask in such a manner...Yes...dark insects...are the beasts you seek...my light...keep it...in these vessels... _There was a dim glow and a strange object appeared in the air before them. It looked like a bunch of pale grapes on a vine, only they seemed to be made of glass. Sixteen glass balls in all. The vessel then split into two, each bearing one half of the bunch, and floated towards them. A vine spread from each vessel and wrapped around their necks. With the bunches securely fastened, the voice came again, _Be wary as you search...the dark insects...shadows lurk..._ It faded with one last groan and the light dimmed even more.

Adri let out a small whine, moving closer to the hazy glow. "Wait! Isn't there more?"

"Adri, it must have used much of its remaining power to create these vessels." He then looked up at Midna saying, "Well then, where should we start?"

The imp didn't respond. Her eye was closed and her hands were held out in front of her as if she were searching for something. "Shh!" she hissed after about ten seconds, "I'm trying to locate those bugs. If they're creatures of Twilight, then I should be able to find them."

Adri rolled her eyes at this, but then felt something. Her fur started to bristle as she sniffed the air. It felt almost charged and smelled of electricity, as if someone had cut a wire. She growled, not liking the static feeling at all. Link looked at her with his face filled with confusion.

"Adri, what's wrong?"

She growled even lower as the crackle of sparks filled the air. Without warning Adri saw a flurry of sparks diving straight at her, but not before Link's jaws were around it. What squirmed in his teeth was a huge, pale gold beetle. Feeble sparks danced on the insect's wings as it struggled to free itself. Link simply bit down hard on its shell and the thing exploded in a burst of greenish light. The light drifted in the air for a second, then floated towards the vessel hanging from his neck. With a slight plop the light disappeared and a glass ball glowed.

Midna's mouth formed a thoughtful frown. She floated off Link's back to examine the collar-like vessel. "Huh, so that's what the spirit meant by 'insects.' These things must be the light given dark forms." As she tapped a finger on the one glowing globe she added, "Gotta have a strong anchor for this kind of magic. Still, I can't believe he's this stupid!"

Adri shot the imp a look. "What are you talking about?" she growled, "You're acting like you know this Twilight King." The response she got was a loud yawn and a giggle. Adri growled louder, but another sound caught her attention. It was another spark and it was right next to her. With a jerk of her head she had another bug clamped between her teeth. Adri wanted to gag as the thing wriggled, but bit down on it. A crunch later and the bug burst apart leaving the light behind. Just like with Link's the light collected in one of the globes in Adri's vessel.

A smile played at the corners of Midna's mouth. "Well then, I believe we've found our source." She floated back onto Link's back saying, "Now all we got to do is kill the things."

Gagging on the awful taste in her mouth, Adri looked at Link. "Let's just find and kill all those suckers so we can get the place back to normal."

Link nodded. Without another word they took off down the path leading towards the tunnel. Within seconds the crackle of sparks filled the air again, but that was quickly stopped with a snap of their teeth. Adri whined a bit as she struggled not to puke when she felt the bug crunch in her mouth. She rubbed her muzzle with a paw thinking, _When this is over I'm giving my mouth a good rinse!_

The tunnel came into view. And, much to Link's dismay, the gate that had been open before was now closed shut with a padlock. Another whine escaped Adri. "Great, how are we supposed to get any further with this thing locked?"

"You know, you're making a very sorry excuse for a wolf," Midna stated, crossing her arms, "You really need to learn how to start using your senses."

Before she could tackle the imp, Link's voice broke through the storm of bad thoughts raging in Adri's head, "Adri look over here!"

Still growling, Adri turned to him. He was standing to the right of the gate digging fiercely at the ground. The dirt was flying from his claws, but she could see he was struggling. Adri sighed and positioned herself next to him. The strong scent of soft soil hit her as she did. Mentally slapping herself for not recognizing it before she asked, "Need a hand?"

Link nodded. Together they started digging into the dirt. They made rapid progress and before she knew it they were under and over to the other side of the gate. Adri shook the loose dirt from her fur barely noticing Midna land on Link's back out of nowhere. _How did she-_ the thought broke off when she heard a familiar crackle. Once again Link was quicker. Before she could move the thing was crushed beneath Link's claws and another globe glowed around his neck.

He smiled at Adri laughing, "Two for me, Adri."

Adri narrowed her eyes, her lips forming a smile as well. "Is that a challenge?"

"Oh gods please tell me you two are not woooooaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!"

Adri would have laughed at the imp's scream if she hadn't been occupied. They shot into the tunnel. Adri gained the lead fairly quickly, a barking laugh escaping her when she saw Link's face. The darkness of the tunnel held no fear for her this time, even if the Twilight made it even darker. Wolf eyes could see through the soupy atmosphere without much trouble. She raced through, glancing behind her to see Link gaining. Adri grinned and sped up barking, "You're not winning that easily!"

"Adri look out!"

She turned back just in time to see something black lunge at her. Adri let out a yelp and leaped back before it could clamp itself on her leg. The thing hissed and reared its distorted head back. It looked like an overgrown venous flytrap with a black bulbous head and thin stalk for a neck. Black saliva dripped from its purple lips as it readied itself for another attack. Not before Link had his jaws around the stalk. He jerked his head and ripped the thing right out of the ground. Within seconds the plant hung limp in his teeth.

Link growled and spat the thing on the ground. Adri gulped as the plant burst apart into a flurry of black squares. She looked at Link saying, "Thanks."

"That was a Deku Baba," he growled, "This twilight must have warped it. If this was what happened to the Babas, I hope that the bokoblins are either asleep or gone."

Just like that the competitive atmosphere evaporated. Now all their energy was focused on getting through the tunnel and to the glade on the other side. Dim, golden light filled the black ahead, growing larger as they neared it. The light filled their vision as they finally exited the tunnel. What they saw next made Adri's stomach drop. A sea of purple mist spread outward from the old dock, a shadow version of the lake that had clearly once been there. A hissing sound like a thousand snakes filled the air, as if the mist was alive. Even worse was the smell that radiated from it.

Adri wanted to gag when the scent hit her sensitive nose. She covered it with her paw gasping, "I don't like this. This stuff screams danger."

"I have to agree with the girl on this one," said Midna, her hand covering her nose and mouth, "This fog isn't natural, not even by Twilight standards."

However, a loud snort was Link's response. He turned around to face Midna saying, "The rest of the bugs are on the other side of this swamp, right?" Upon her nod he growled, "Then we're going through, fog or no fog."

His tail held high, Link trotted forward into the purple mist despite the tugs at his fur from Midna. Gulping, Adri started to follow when a series of coughs stopped her. Link backed out of the valley gasping for breath. He shook his head, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted. He started to slump to the side, but Adri caught him and kept him up with her shoulder.

On his back Midna yelled, "I told you this stuff was bad! If you had stayed in there any longer you might've been killed you stupid boy!"

"Quiet!" Adri snapped. Link began to fall again, but she kept him standing straight. With a grunt she pushed him up until he was standing fine on his own. He was still panting, but at least he wasn't falling so much. Adri shot a glare at the mist below them.

"Any ideas on how to get across this stuff?"

Link coughed, glancing at the mist. He glanced at the cliff side, then paused. He squinted his eyes saying, "Adri, what is that?"

Adri looked in the direction of his muzzle and saw what he was talking about. Near the edge of the bank was an old stump, and a short jump away was another bank. She grinned as she realized what this meant. _Perfect! All we need to do is jump across and we'll be able to take it from there._ Adri trotted over to the edge of the bank, her tail wagging with excitement. "We'll jump from here to there," she stated, "It'll be easy for us!"

Link nodded, another short cough escaping him. "Alright then. Just give me a second and-"

"No, you're going to stay right there," said Adri, "You still look wobbly on your legs and there's no way I'm letting you fall into this fog. I'll test it and let you know if everything's fine."

"I'd listen to her, wolfie," stated Midna, pulling back on Link's neck fur like a bridle, "If it's safe I'll help you get across when she's done."

He growled a bit at the idea, but the wolf nodded and stepped back. Adri turned her attention to the stump. It seemed to be floating there just waiting for her to make the jump across. Around it the mist hissed as if daring her to try to make the jump. She narrowed her eyes and backed up. Her muscles tensed up and like a spring she bolted across the mist. Adri heard it hissing below as she sailed through the air. _PleaseletmelandonthatthingPleaseletmelandonthatthing!_ For a second she thought she might've overshot her jump, but when she felt the wood beneath her paws she knew she was fine.

Adri sighed with relief. _God, I thought I'd screwed that up._ She straightened herself, but didn't relax her muscles. There was still one more jump to make. Adri glanced behind her and saw Link's anxious face. She wagged her tail to reassure him, but as she did something didn't feel quite right. She forced herself to get ready for her next jump, but the feeling was still sending chills through her fur. The stump felt soft and soggy beneath her paws. _Wait....if it's like that then-_ her thought was cut off by a splintering crack. Adri yelped as the stump started to fall apart from under her. _OhGodOhGodOhGod_

"Adri jump!" Link howled.

Without a second thought Adri launched herself toward the other bank. As her back legs pushed against the stump, the wood that had been creaking under her weight gave away and crumbled into the fog. She landed flat on her stomach barely missing the purple swamp. Adri scrambled to her feet, turning to look back across at Link and Midna. There was nothing left of the stump, thus nothing for Link to jump onto. She doubted he would be able to make it with or without Midna's help in the condition he was in.

"Adri!" Link barked, "Are you alright?"

Adri let out a shaky breath. "Yeah, just peachy."

Midna glared at where the stump had been. "Great, now we can't get across and you can't get back. What do we do now?"

The question was answered by a sudden buzz. Before she could move Adri felt something slam into her side. A sharp, painful shock coursed through her body as the bug that had delivered the blow hovered above her. Through her dulled senses she could hear Link howling her name. She saw streaks of darkness from Midna hit the insect, but they had no affect on it. _Twilight magic doesn't work then_, she thought,_ only tooth and claw._ A low growl started in her throat. Adri rose to her feet and faced the insect, narrowing her eyes. More sparks flashed across its wings and it flew at her again. This time she was ready. Adri leaped to the side as the bug passed, making a quick about face when she was back on the ground. With a snarl she lunged as the sparks died and delivered a crushing bite on the thing's shell. It exploded and the turquoise tear filled another globe in the vessel.

"Hey!" she barked, "There's some more this way!"

"How am I going to get across though?" Link whined, "You can't go alone, Adri."

_There he goes with the chivalry again. I'm not some damsel in distress!_ Adri turned to Midna saying, "How many are floating in this mist?"

The imp closed her eyes in concentration, then opened them. "There's a lot, but something's off." She roughly jerked Link's head around back toward the tunnel entrance. "I don't know how, but I missed some back at that house for some reason. We need to go back."

Link didn't look too happy, but he nodded. He looked back at Adri with worry in his eyes. "You sure-"

"Get going already!" she barked, "The sooner we get this done the sooner we can get to Ilia and the kids." A quick nod was all that Link gave her as he took off back into the tunnel after the bugs they had missed. Now Adri turned away from the opposite bank and to the trees that grew around the grove. There was an overhang that stretched into the trees, giving her an idea. Adri raced up the slope and leaped from the overhang. She landed safely in a nearby tree. Her entrance was greeted by the buzz of another bug. Adri easily took care of it and another globe glowed. Below her the fog hissed and swirled as if in anger that it could not get at her.

_Alright, all I need to do is keep going like this and I'll get across._ She winced as a wiff of the purple mist hit her. _Just have to be careful about breathing in this junk. Ugh, this is worse than LA in the middle of summer._

Adri found her next target and leaped onto a branch. It cracked a bit under her weight, but held firm. Another bug was her reward. She continued the leaps through the tree branches, each one containing a single Twilight insect. The mist was still bothering her, but since she was so high up it didn't have as devastating an effect as it had with Link. Adri let out a sigh of relief when she saw the other side of the grove in sight. She leaped for a storm-blasted tree, then for the higher ground. As soon as her paws touched the dirt Adri took in a deep breath. She could smell the clean air flowing from the trees ahead. _Finally!_ Adri touched the vessel, seven globes glowing with the tears. "One more to go then." She turned back to see the other side, but the fog obscured her vision. "Hope Link's alright."

_Come to me...._

The voice was dark, sending shivers down her body from her head to her tail. A blast of freezing air hit her face, along with a low hissing sound. This one was different from the one behind her in the grove. It was darker, far darker than anything she'd ever heard. Adri growled and shot into the underbrush. As the leaves passed by her vision the hiss grew louder with a few growls added. Obviously whatever was ahead was angry about something. _A monster_, Adri thought bitterly, _Hmph, whatever it is I'll have to deal with it before Link and Midna can get here._

Still, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. The clearing was just ahead now. However she didn't rush out into the open. As soon as she got near the edge of the bushes she laid low. Adri peered through into the twilit clearing. Her blood froze when she saw what was hunched over sniffing the ground. It had unimaginably long arms, black skin with midnight purple markings all over its body, a reptilian head, and deadly claws. It was the monster that had attacked her in the woods.

The same feeling from before crept through her body again. Her body felt numb, so numb that she couldn't move let alone run away from what she was seeing. The beast raised its head, blindly sniffing the air and growling with frustration. Adri fought back the whine that wanted to escape. _Need to stay quiet....just have to stay still...._

"Where are you?" the thing growled. Adri nearly yelped when she heard actual words come out of that mouth. "I smell you, light dweller. Your disgusting scent is all over this forest." It raked its claws across the ground snarling, "When I find you I will finish what I started with your arm."

_Stay calm, stay calm! Stupid gift of tongues!_ she mentally screamed, remembering the gift that Ordona had given her and realizing that was the reason she was hearing the words come out of that horrible mouth. It wasn't working very well. Her heart was pounding so hard she knew the thing could hear it. A bitter smell was coming off of her fur, something she had a feeling was the smell of fear. Adri felt her legs shaking beneath her. Still she kept chanting her phrase to keep her body under control.

Finally the thing looked up at the sky. It snarled one last time, then sliced at the air. There was a rush of wind and a black gash appeared. The monster leaped into it and with a sickening zip the gash was gone.

Adri couldn't move. The cold feeling had left both the atmosphere and her body, but she was still frozen. _I-It wasn't a dream! That thing is still looking for me!_

"Adri!"

She turned at the familiar howl. There was a snapping of twigs and Link came running through the brush. Midna was clutching his fur tight in her hands, but other than that she seemed fine. Around his neck she could see seven globes glowing just like her's, meaning there was one left for each of them. Adri felt a wave of relief pass over her as Link butted his head against her neck.

"We got across," he said, "There was an outcropping of rock that we used to get across to that other bank. It was easy to get through the rest of the grove after that."

Adri nodded, wagging her tail a bit. "Good, I'm glad. I just got over here myself."

Midna narrowed her eye. She peered through the leaves into the clearing saying, "Then what's wrong? You know you look like you were scared out of your wits."

"I'm fine. I just smelled something weird, that's all," Adri lied, "I'm not quite used to this body yet." The last thing she needed was Link worrying about her again.

The imp fixed her with a cold stare, but then shrugged. "Hmph, well whatever it was, it's gone now, right?" Adri nodded. "Good. Then we should keep going. Judging by those vessels there's two left."

The two wolves nodded. Without another word they raced out of the trees and across the clearing. All the while though, Adri couldn't shake off the numbness that had filled her veins. The monster's words chilled her to the bone. _When I find you, I will finish what I started with your arm._ Adri gulped and mentally slapped her cheeks. _Stop it! That thing is gone now and you won't have to worry about anymore._

They had reached the ancient tree's valley. Link raced across the bridge with Midna holding on tight and Adri following at his side. As they neared the massive trunk the familiar crackle of electricity filled the air. The two insects dive bombed them and they had to dodge. However it was just as easy as the first time. Adri's jaws crushed the carapace of her bug the second Link got his. The released tears floated into the air then rushed into the vessels. With the last of the globes filled the vessels began to glow with a blue light. Adri gasped as the light enveloped all three of them. It filled her senses and before she knew it she felt herself drifting away. There was one last flash, then the glow they were encased in shot off towards the beginning of the woods.

* * *

See! Told you that monster was going to show up later! It's coming back to if you hadn't guessed by its murderous words. Heh, yes I'm going to torture Adri some more.

Bren: *rolls eyes* _Reviews are greatly appreciated. Special thanks to Ranuu for that critic of the first chapter. Anyone flames, they answer to me._

*slides out plate of cookies for Ranuu and all others*


	9. Chapter 9: More Questions than Answers

**Ahahaha.....yeah.....I'msorryIdidn'tupdateforsolongpleaseforgiveme!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**_Bren: O_o Okay....that was weird. Since Storm is apparently in a state of shock at the moment, I'll do the explaining. This chapter was giving her some trouble, so she let it sit during the last few weeks of school for her graduation, then over the summer while she was on vacation in Utah, and finally just settling into the college setting have taken up a good chunk of her time. All that gave her the inspiration to keep going and finally get this thing done. Hopefully she'll be able to get the next chapter up quicker than this one._**

**Me: *is spazzing out on the floor***

**_Bren: Yes, I don't want to see this again. So anywho, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess belongs to Nintendo. Storm only owns Adri and, as a bonus, any changes made to the storyline are her's too._  
**

* * *

**Chapter 9: More Questions than Answers**

The whiplash release was better than when Midna had pulled them through the curtain, but it still disoriented her all the same. Once the blinding white had faded though, the light from the sun filled her eyes. _Sunlight....wait, that means..._ The clear sound of rushing water answered her question. As the light cleared Adri felt a wave a relief rush over her. The twilight that had covered the woods had been purged from the atmosphere. Everything was back to normal; the wind, the birds, the spring, everything that had been enveloped in the shadow.

_Good then, back to normal_, Adri thought, feeling the water of the spring lapping against her knees, _But then where's the spirit?_

Before she could turn to question Link, a giggle from Midna interrupted her. The imp floated in front of them, her form smoky again, with her arms folded behind her head. "Aw, but it was so nice here in the twilight….What's so great about a world of light anyway?" Not waiting for an answer she shrugged and giggled, "Teehee, see you two later then!"

She leaped back into Link's shadow, just in time for the water above the cascade to begin glowing just like in the Ordon spring. The sound of a stone hitting water echoed and another golden-glyphed ball rose into the air. A call reverberated off the trees as a golden paw gripped the light. It sounded like a happy version of the lament Adri had heard earlier. What looked like the father of all monkeys phased into existence. Its long tail swung around its body in two graceful loops as it held onto the ball with all four paws. Once it was comfortable the spirit turned to them, its golden eyes filled with gratitude.

_My name is Faron. I am one of the light spirits of light in Hyrule. I use the life force of the gods to protect this forest, and thank you for restoring my lands._ The spirit's voice was like the blowing of the lowest notes on a flute. _Oh brave youths....In the land covered by twilight, where people roam as spirits, you were transformed into noble beasts....that was a sign. It was a sign that the powers within you are beginning to awaken...._

Adri gulped, chills running down her spine. _Powers? Me? Okay, this monkey has had way too many bananas and they're affecting its brain. There's no way that I have any special powers._

The spirit must have been able to read minds for it turned to her, amusement reflected in its eyes. _Do not doubt what you do not know, Earth Child. Now,_ Faron swept its paw through the air, _look upon your awakened forms._

A gasp from Link brought her attention to him, only to have her do the same. He was a human again, no signs of the wolf anywhere, but he had been changed. He was no longer dressed in his village attire. Instead he now wore a green tunic. Underneath it were tan underclothes that covered his arms and legs as well as protected him from a copper chain mail shirt. A belt with three pouches on the side held the tunic in place. Another pair of belt straps was slung across his shoulder to hold the sword and shield from the village, now on his back, in place. Link's fingers were covered with a pair of fingerless gloves with a leather guard on his left wrist. To complete the outfit was a floppy, green stocking cap covering his mop of hair.

Link looked up from the new gloves and met her gaze. His eyes were wide, but suddenly widened even more as he breathed, "Adri look!"

She glanced down. To her extreme relief she saw hands instead of paws, only they were clad in her own pair of fingerless leather gloves. Clasped onto her wrists were bronze wrist guards. Adri looked at the rest of her clothes. When she'd been in the woods and first shown up in Ordon, she'd been wearing a pair of jeans with a simple dark blue T-shirt and sneakers. Now they had been replaced by a dark green tunic edged with lighter green threading and a pair of brown pants. A silver mail shirt was underneath the tunic with a dark, bluish undershirt to protect her skin. A belt with a single small pouch was around her waist. Just like Link, she had a strap across her back that held the staff that she had found yesterday. On her feet were a pair of dark leather boots with the pant ends tucked into them. Adri felt a light pressure on her forehead and found a thin leather band around her head to complete her new wardrobe.

Adri couldn't take her eyes off her newly gloved hands. _W-wait, what's going on here? Since when did we both get wardrobe changes?_

_Heroes...._ Their attention was brought back to the spirit as it gestured to Link. _The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods....His power is yours. His is the power that slept within you._

Faron fixed its gaze on Adri. _Your garb was not worn by heroes past, but was made for you and for you alone, little sister. Do not disappoint the one who has favored you._

Now the spirit drew itself up. _You are the heroes chosen by the gods....it is you that are needed to save the realm of light...._ Once that moment had passed, Faron's voice took on a darker tone.

_Brave youths....A dark power resides in the temple deep within these woods. It is a dark and forbidden power. Long, long ago, I and the light spirits of the Eldin and Lanayru lands locked it away. Because of its nature, it is a power that should never be touched by any who dwell in the light._

_However...._ Adri could already hear the end of Faron's sentence before the spirit finished.

"Wait, you want us to go after this power, don't you? I thought you said people from this realm can't touch it."

_This world weeps under a mantle of shadows...._ The spirits voice was filled with sadness. _There is no other choice. You must match the king of shadows. You must proceed to the temple deep within the forest._

In her mind, Adri groaned. Though judging by the look on Link's face she knew there was no choice. "We'll go," he said, his eyes set with determination. _Oh great. For all we know we could be heading to our deaths! But no, he has to be a hero!_

_Now, little sister, I have something for you._

_Think I know what this is._ Adri took a few steps closer to the cascade with perhaps a bit more confidence than she had with Ordona. Faron reached down and placed a glowing paw on her forehead. Her palm tingled as the mark began to glow through the leather. _You are an embodiment of the earth, as am I. As is such, the forest's power will be at your command. I give you the second gift, the power over plant life. You will have need of it when you enter the temple._ Pure energy rushed from the spirit's paw into her body. This time the power was more focused in her fingers, rather than her head, and sent tingling sensations up and down her arms. One last shock to her fingertips and it was over. Just like the first time Adri felt extremely dizzy, but managed to keep herself from falling over. The mark faded back into the leather.

_If you seek the dark power....you must journey to the temple...._ The light spirit faded was fading away.

"What!" Adri yelled, "Why am I getting all of these gifts? Who's Farore anyway?"

_All in good time....little one...._ Faron disappeared in a shower of gold light.

***

"Wait, back up. You're telling me that this world was created by three goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore. Right?"

"Yes."

"And everything that exists breathes with the spirit left behind by them and that the whole world's good fortune comes from three triangles?"

"Yes."

"That's got to be the worse fairy tale I've ever heard."

They were walking through the tunnel. Link had managed to talk Coro(who wouldn't stop nudging Link and winking at him while looking in Adri's general direction, much to her embarrassment) into giving him the key to the still locked gate. He also discovered that the pouches on his belt were made to hold almost infinite amounts of items after he pulled his forearm-sized lantern and a bottle full of oil for it out of one. As soon as they were within the darkness Link started questioning her. The conversations with the light spirits had unnerved him and he wanted the truth out of her. Adri readily fired her own questions. Particularly ones that involved the name Farore.

Link tilted his head. "It's what I was told when I was a boy. Or do you not have gods on this Earth you say you come from?"

"No I....Gah!" Adri groaned, rubbing her temples. Link wasn't making any sense with his story, and it didn't answer the question that was looming over her. _Why would a goddess pick me? Me! Of all people! I'm the loser who takes up space in the back, the one that people deal with only when they have to. Not a hero!_

"Sorry," she sighed, "I'm just trying to soak this all in. Or make sense out of it." She threw her hands in the air. "I mean, why would a goddess, all powerful and all that good stuff, want me to save Hyrule? I can't even drive a golf cart without crashing it into a tree!"

"Er……what's a golf cart?"

"Nevermind."

The tunnel widened into the grove, but they stopped short. Adri was sure with the Twilight gone everything would be back to normal, but apparently not. The purple mist was still there, still hissing and drifting into the air. Adri covered her nose and mouth. The smell was just as bad as before. It was so thick that she couldn't see the sunlight through the trees anymore. Link's lantern wasn't helping much with the light either. Remembering what had happened to the stump she had used as a wolf, there was no other way for them to get across this time.

Link groaned as he held his lamp higher. "I hoped this would have been cleared."

"Guess not," replied Adri.

"Well we still need to get across this stuff!" stated Midna. Link's shadow stretched and the imp appeared. She crossed her arms glaring at the mist. "So what's the plan? We going or not?"

Adri narrowed her eyes. "We? I thought we'd be rid of you after the Twilight was gone. What do you want?"

"Teehee, you've got a bit of a thick head, don't you?" Midna giggled, "That dark power you two are going after? Well it just so happens that I'm after that same power. Convenient, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" said Link.

Midna rolled her eye saying, "Look, I said I couldn't tell you all the details now, but I need that thing in the temple. And you two are going to get it for me."

"What!?" Adri dove at the imp before she could stop herself. She was going to strangle her before she took any orders from her. Instead of the desired result, though, Adri's body passed through Midna's as if she were smoke. Her shoulder slammed into the ground, causing a giggle from Midna and a scream of pain from her. In a flash Link was at her side helping her to her feet. Despite the stinging pain from her shoulder Adri couldn't take her eyes off of the laughing, shadowy imp.

"Oh, forgot to mention that little detail. While I'm in this form, nothing can touch me." She then added with an evil smile, "That includes you. Anyway, we'd better get going if we want to get that power." Midna dove back into Link's shadow.

Adri glared at the shadow, wincing a bit from the raw scrape on her shoulder. For a second she really wished she still had those claws. Link shook his head, fixing Adri with a bemused look. "You really don't like her, huh?"

"No, I don't," she growled. Adri turned her attention back to the sea of mist before them. "But she's right about one thing. How are we supposed to get across this stuff?"

_Hey!_

The voice was so sudden that Adri nearly jumped. It had sounded female, like a child's plea. She glanced around trying to pinpoint where it had come from. This was earning her a confused look from Link.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you hear that?"

"The monkey sound? Yeah, I heard it."

"No! That voice!" she insisted. _Monkey sound? How could he mistake that for the sound a monkey makes?_ she thought, irritated by Link's lack of good hearing. The air was silent again, if not for the hiss of the mist, when the voice came again.

_Hey, I can help you two get across._

The leaves above them rustled. A branch was bent as the climber slid down and onto the forest floor. It was a monkey, one with a pink rose tucked behind one ear. Adri instantly recognized it as the one Talo had chased yesterday. By the funny bow it made, it didn't take long for her to connect it with the voice she had just heard. _Okay, completely forgot about that gift thing I have._ The monkey grinned and before they could blink had snatched Link's lantern away.

"Hey!" Link was ready to dive for her, but Adri placed an arm in front of him.

"Hang on. I think she wants to help us."

Link raised an eyebrow stating, "Oh, and stealing the only way we can see anything in this soup is helping?"

Adri groaned saying, "Look, I'm actually hearing what that monkey's saying. That 'gift of tongues' thing that Ordona gave me is kicking in."

A sharp screech from the monkey translated to, _Hey! Are you guys going to chatter all day like a pair of squirrels, or do you want to get across?_

The monkey had run to the old dock with the lantern hung on the end of a stick. She raised the stick high, then started swinging it above her head. At first nothing happened, but suddenly, Adri wasn't sure if she was really seeing things, the mist started moving back. Hisses filled the air and the purple air writhed as if it were a creature in pain. The monkey turned around and gestured for them to follow.

_This stuff doesn't like light. I'll lead you through to the other side._

"Translation, Monkey Whisperer?" said Link.

"Not helping," Adri growled, "Let's just go."

They walked off the edge of the dock and into the grove. Around them the mist swirled, but didn't come close to the light of the lantern. The monkey had been right. It didn't help with the smell though. Now that they were passing through the heart of the grove the smell had increased tenfold. Adri had a feeling it wasn't as bad as it would have been if they had been on their own, but her lungs were still burning from inhaling even whiffs of the air. She covered her and nose to shut off the flow a bit. Link seemed to be following suit. His shadow quivered a bit. Obviously the mist was starting to get to Midna as well. _Just hang on and we'll be out of here soon._ However there was a run in with a bunch of keese as they passed beneath an arching root that slowed them down quite a bit. The monkey freaked out and started waving the lantern like crazy, causing the mist to begin to close in around them again. Link's sword made quick work of the bats though. They were on the other bank a couple steps away from the arch.

Link breathed in the cleaner air saying, "Out of there. I thought it was bad when I was a wolf, but just being in the middle of it."

_Least I can go through the trees_, the monkey added shaking her head. She handed the lantern back to Link, who frowned when he looked at it. _Sorry, the oil's out._

_How did she know what oil was?_ Out loud Adri said, "Er, thanks and all, but why did you help us?"

The monkey grinned then chattered, _Don't think I didn't hear Lord Faron talking to you guys. Look, I helped you through there, now I want to ask a favor._

"Well, what'd she say?" asked Link.

"She wants a favor," she replied, "Guess she wants help with something."

_Not something, someone! I'll explain when we get to the deku tree._ The monkey disappeared into the brush.

Link glanced at Adri. His eyebrows were raised, but he shook his head. "Do I want to know what we're getting ourselves into?"

"Hey, she said she needs help." She then asked, "And hey, what's a deku tree? The monkey said she'd meet us at the deku tree."

"Oh, deku tree! It's another name for the old temple. Sometimes Rusl will use the name out of respect or something like that. There's a legend that the tree was once alive and-"

"Enough with the legends already!" Adri shouted, then stalked off into the tree tunnel. She ground her teeth together, ignoring Link's shouts for her to wait up. _Legends, is that all that Link and these spirits can think about? Goddesses and magic? _She barely registered that she was getting to thebridge that led to the temple. _Everything is just....why am I even here?_

"Adri get down!"

Something golden flew over her just as she hit the ground. Adri whipped her head around and saw Link standing in an attack stance with his sword and shield ready. In the next second he was gone in a flash of light. Standing where he had been was a huge wolf. It wasn't him though, nor any normal wolf. Its fur was a brilliant gold with white edging its fur and the end of its tail. It turned to her, crimson eyes narrowed and its upper lip quivering. Adri pushed herself up trying to imitate the fluid movement Link made when he drew his sword. The result was the end of her staff getting stuck in the strap. She started tugging harder on the stick, her sweaty palms slipping on the wood. The wolf was starting to advance, a low growl in its throat.

"Come on!" she yelped, "Get out already!" The wolf leaped at her and all Adri could do was raise her arms to cover her face.

* * *

**Okay, I'm better now. Hope you liked it. It was hard to right for some reason, and I don't plan on leaving you guys at the cliffy for long. On a side note about Adri's behavior, let's just say something happened in her past that has caused her to kind of loose touch with the magic that she loved when she was a kid. More on that later though. Who is this mysterious wolf? Bren, the honors are your's.**

**_Bren: Reviews are appreciated. You flame, you answer to me._  
**


	10. Chapter 10: Lessons

_Hi there! I'm back after a much shorter wait. Sorry it took so long, but I had some conflicting ideas in mind for this chapter. But they're all sorted out now and I give you the filler chapter! Now remember, last time we left off Adri was jumped by the golden wolf. Dududun! Hope you enjoy!_

_**Bren: The Legend of Zelda belongs to Nintendo. Adri is the property of Storm.**_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Lessons**

The teeth never came. Confused, Adri slowly dropped her arms only to gasp at what was before her. The forest was gone. In fact almost everything was gone. The world was shrouded in a dense fog, so thick that she could barely see the ground beneath her. She thought she saw the image of a castle in the distance, but it could have been a trick of the light. The tops of trees were behind her, but the forest itself wasn't there anymore. There was no sun, only a stormy-gray, overcast sky. It was like she was in a completely different world.

_Where am I?_

The clank of metal on metal was her answer. Adri turned around just in time to have a shield slam into her stomach. She choked as the metal circle pushed the wind out of her and to the ground. Adri gasped for air as a red haze filled her vision. Her chest hurt so much that it felt like there was a vice closed tight around her body. She pushed herself to her knees, but wasn't able to get much farther because of the pain. There was a crunch of grass and a pair of rusted grieves came into view. Adri looked up, still clutching her stomach tight and struggling to breath. A sword point was at her throat, held by a ghostly figure. A warrior clad in ancient, battle stained armor was standing over her. She could see his teeth through transparent lips and his red eyes set in a frown. The sword moved away from her neck.

"A sword wields no strength unless the hand holds courage," the shade boomed. His voice was deep with an earth-real echo at the same time. "Get up."

Adri forced herself up, the pain in her chest beginning to lessen as her breath came back. She was greeted by a hard whack to the head. Adri yelped as her staff clattered to the ground after finally sliding out of its carrier and making contact with her head. Still, something told her that the skeletal warrior before her wasn't playing around. She grabbed the weapon, then just stood there. There wasn't much else she could think about doing, especially since she had no idea where she was or if she could even take on this new enemy. The shade started circling her, his eyes still narrowed.

"Fear flows from you like a wild river," he said, "Your eyes are filled with it." He snorted and raised his sword. "I thought She would have picked someone stronger."

"What?" Adri snapped. The statement was an insult, she was sure of it.

"Both you and you're friend, the new hero, would insult the line that came before you with the state you are in." His words were answered with a loud yell from Adri. She charged the shade head on swinging her staff wildly. Her rage made her oblivious to the sword coming at her from the side. The flat of the blade hit her side, not exactly hard, but enough to sting. She wanted to slap herself for not seeing it in the first place. However, when she looked at the shade's face, in his eyes was an amused twinkle.

"Fight with anger and you will not win," he said, then lowered his sword, "I see what I have to work with now." The shade moved into another attack stance and, with a snap of his fingers, had replaced his sword and shield for a tarnished gold staff. He twisted it saying, "It has been years since I last used this weapon. It will be a nice change."

"Now then, you obviously do not have even the most basic of forms down. However when I am through, we will see if you are indeed worthy of carrying out the task that has been set before you. Your first lesson will be the block."

Adri fixed her grip on her staff growling, "I think I already know how to do that." _I was able to fight those things in the woods the other day. I know what to do._

A jab in the stomach was her answer. Adri let out a grunt, staggering back after the blow. The shade's eyes gleamed with fury. "Where was the block, Child of the Earth? Are you so arrogant that you would leave yourself open to attack when the hour is dire?"

"The block is the first technique all novices learn. You are no exception." The shade shifted into a more ready stance. "Come at me."

Adri winced at the bruises that were already forming from the shield and latest attack. She gritted her teeth. _Fine. I want out of here, I'll listen._ Adri's hands tightened on the hard wood. Without hesitation she swung her staff at the shade. He didn't make any motions to defend himself and for a second she was afraid she'd over done it, until his staff shot out. The metal collided with the ash and with a fierce twist had knocked the weapon out of Adri's hands. The shade swung his staff at her neck, stopping inches away.

"This is what will save your skin more than just once. When the enemy attacks you, this will be the difference between life and death." Adri hurried to pick up her weapon as the shade shifted once again into his previous stance booming, "Now, prepare yourself, child. It is your turn."

_Wait, what?_ It was her only thought as the staff came right at her. Adri tried to block with the same movement as the shade, but she didn't have the right grip on her own staff. She was thrown back to the ground, the mist opening up as she hit the dirt. A loud "hmph" came from the shade.

"Not fast enough. Again, child."

Adri bit back a groan as she got up. Three bruises she knew she was going to have on her stomach now. Three. She was getting tired of this. Adri gripped the wooden staff tight and shifted into a deeper stance. She barely felt it at all, like she wasn't in control of her body. _Relax_, a voice whispered, _Let the weapon guide itself._ She narrowed her eyes waiting for the attack she knew was coming. There! The shade stabbed forward at her face, but her feet shifted back giving her enough room to make her move. Her hands twisted her staff in a small circle and knocked the metal one aside. Adri rushed in with a sharp stab to the shade's transparent stomach. At first she thought it was going to go through, seeing as he was a ghost, but it made a solid hit. The shade staggered back with a grunt. Adri froze, her arms still stretched out from the stab.

_W-what just happened? How did I hit him if he's a ghost?_

To her surprise, a deep chuckle came from the shade. He straightened up, the amused twinkle from earlier back in his eyes. "Not bad, child," he echoed, "Not bad for your first try."

"Er, thanks?" It was all she could come up with.

"This is only the beginning of what I have to teach you, though. Grow in strength, test your limits, and when the time comes seek me out along with your friend. The statues that howl with the sound of the wind will be your guides. Seek the sound that calls to the spirit of the beast within to awaken me again." He frowned finishing, "The spirit of the sublime beast rests within you as well....but your courage I question." The shade started to step back, the fog swirling around him. "A sword, or staff, wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage. Remember those words….."

"Farewell."

* * *

"Adri? Adri wake up."

A jolt ran through her body and her eyes snapped open. Adri bolted upright, her breath coming out hard. The sudden movement made her stomach hurt right where the shade had hit her at three times. _That....that was real?_ Judging by the trees and lack of fog, she was back in Faron Woods in the same spot where the wolf had leaped at her. Her staff was back in its back strap only positioned correctly after her failure to pull it out in time. _Okay, not a dream._ She looked to the side and found that Link was kneeling next to her. A look of relief passed over his face.

"Good, you're up." He stood up, offering his hand as he did. Adri took it and he pulled her up straight.

"Thanks," she said. She dusted the dirt off of her pants, then asked, "Okay, what just happened? One minute there was this wolf-"

"The warrior," Link finished. He turned to the spot where the golden wolf had been. "We were transported to this spirit realm of some sorts. The shade said he was there to guide me and taught me this technique that he claimed only the hero's blood would be worthy of learning."

Adri nodded, rubbing her stomach. "Yeah….mentioned the same thing to me. I'm going to take a guess and say he didn't hit you with very much praise."

"Actually, he said I was decent."

She rolled her eyes. "Great. Even here there are teacher's pets."

Link smiled shaking his head. "Nevermind what happened. What we need to deal with right now is the temple up ahead." He pointed to the tree across the bridge. "That place....it's strange. I always used to feel protected whenever I came here. Now I'm getting this feeling of foreboding when I look at it."

Adri turned to the temple. He had a point. The majestic tree she had seen before did seem different. Its branches were shrouded in shadows of a purplish color. The exact same purple of the mist from the grove. The branches were like claws scratching at the sky. Adri shuddered when she realized they were actually going in there. "I think I see what you mean," she said quietly. _Am I really cut out for this?_ she thought, _How are we even going to get through this place in one piece?_ Link's voice brought her attention back to him.

"Then let's just go. We still need to help that monkey after she helped us through that mist." She nodded.

They started making the trek across the bridge. Adri was pretty sure it was making creaking sounds beneath her boots, but then again that might have been nerves. She kept trying not to think about the drop that was under the hollowed out root. _What's waiting for us in there anyway? Link looked really worried when he saw the tree. Why?_ They were at the doorway, a black hole covered with spider webs. Link slashed at them with his sword then turned to her.

"Ready?"

Adri nodded. "I guess."

They crossed the threshold.

_Why am I getting the feeling something bad's going to happen?_

_Wait, how am I supposed to us these powers!?_

* * *

_Haha, poor Adri! Still has no clue how she's supposed to use that new power of her's. You'd think they'd come with instructions for these things. I torture my characters so! XD  
_

_**Bren: Ahem!**_

_Oh right. So then, what dangers await them within the temple? Might have a long wait since this is my first ever dungeon chapter. Just a warning for all you eager readers. Hope you liked this filler, cause after this is when the real fun begins. Both for me and the pair(trio). -_-;  
_

**_Bren:__ Reviews are much appreciated. Flamers answer to me, and you don't want that to happen. *forms fireball in hands*_**


End file.
